On June 23, 2025, several cast members of the hit series, “The Chosen,” visited the Vatican for a press conference and exclusive viewing of Season five, episode four, titled “The Same Coin.” The showing is in anticipation of the season’s Italian streaming release in July.
Cast members Jonathon Roumie, George Xanthis, Elizabeth Tabish, Vanessa Benavente, and series creator Dallas Jenkins attended the press conference and viewing. The cast recently concluded filming the Crucifixion scenes in Italy before the Vatican visit.
During the June 23 press conference, Roumie, who is Catholic and plays Jesus in the series, said the visit to the Vatican was a “humbling honor.”
“The fact we’re here now, sitting at the Vatican… is a testament to, I think, how God wants to continue to further this mission to bring more people to Jesus and to bring Jesus to them,” he said.
Roumie also revealed how he felt about meeting the first American pope.
“When [Pope Leo XIV] was elected, I wept, because I never thought I’d see an American Pope in my lifetime,” the actor said. “To communicate to him in our native language this week is just something I never thought I would see in my life.”
Roumie was scheduled to present a gift from "The Chosen" to Pope Leo XIV during the Wednesday General Audience on June 25. Following this encounter, the Pope’s social media account published a photo of the actor and Pope Leo.
Here is the photo of Jonathan Roumie and Pope Leo XIV below (See 13th slide):
Countless users celebrated the photo. Several people even joked about the “Pope and Jesus” together.
“Pope and Jesus in [picture] 13. Amazing,” one user said.
“My favorite crossover,” another person commented. “The Chosen x Our Beloved Pope.”
“Movie: 'Jesus and Peter, the Reunion,'” someone else said.
“Out of nowhere,” another person joked, “the Pope is taking a selfie with Jesus.”