It isn’t every day that the pope and an actor playing Jesus Christ meet in Rome. But that very thing happened on Wednesday, August 11, when Jonathan Roumie spoke with the pope in St. Peter’s Square.
“Meeting the pope was essentially having a childhood dream be realized,” Roumie told Religion News Service.
This moment, with @Pontifex…. 😭🙌🏽🙏🏽💕🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/iIRhnGSH2I — Jonathan (@JonathanRoumie) August 12, 2021
According to Religion News Service, Roumie had written down a few lines in Spanish to tell the pope, who is Argentine. Roumie also asked for the pope’s prayers as he interprets the role of Jesus in The Chosen.
During his trip, Roumie, who is Catholic, visited the Scala Sancta or “Holy Stair,” which is “believed to be the same steps Jesus climbed in Jerusalem to undergo trial before the Roman Praetor Pontius Pilate,” Religion News Service reported. Roumie climbed the 28 steps on his knees while uttering prayers from the Last Supper to the Resurrection.
Roumie told Religion News Service that it was “probably the most powerful personal experience in my relationship with Christ that I’ve had since I’ve been here.”
The Chosen, which has more than 300 million views worldwide, attracts viewers of many beliefs. Dallas Jenkins, who is the creator, director, and co-writer of the show, is evangelical and approaches it with that perspective. Many Latter-day Saints have also resonated with the show, and a biblical advisory council comprised of different faiths ensures that the wording used in the series will avoid offending different traditions.
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You can watch the first two seasons of The Chosen on BYUtv or on its own app for free. The DVD of season one can also be purchased on deseretbook.com.
Learn more about Roumie’s visit to Rome at Deseret News.
Featured image: Twitter screenshot
The Chosen is the first-ever-multi-season TV show about the life of Jesus. Created outside of the Hollywood system, The Chosen allows us to see Him through the eyes of those who knew him. No matter where you are at in your journey with Jesus Christ, this TV show is for you.
