Vatican City (Vatican), 15 Nov. (LaPresse) – Cinema is ‘a popular art form in the noblest sense, created for everyone and speaking to everyone’. These were the words of Pope Leo XIV as he received representatives from the world of cinema in audience. ‘Cinema,’ added the Pope, "is a young, dreamy and somewhat restless art, even though it is now a century old. In fact, it is celebrating its 130th anniversary, counting from that first public screening by the Lumière brothers on 28 December 1895 in Paris. Initially, cinema appeared to be a play of light and shadow, designed to entertain and impress. But soon, those visual effects were able to reveal much deeper realities, becoming an expression of the desire to contemplate and understand life, to recount its greatness and fragility, to interpret its longing for infinity." The Pontiff then emphasised: ‘Cinemas are experiencing a worrying decline that is removing them from cities and neighbourhoods. And many say that the art of cinema and the cinematic experience are in danger. I urge institutions not to give up and to cooperate in affirming the social and cultural value of this activity.’