MADRID.- The Spanish actor Antonio Banderas defended this Sunday before the Pope that “art must be an alternative to violence”, and stressed that it is not only beauty, it is also “question, reflection, contrast and revolution”, in addition to the voice of warning for societies that have become “accustomed to injustice”.
Banderas was one of the participants in the meeting ‘Weaving networks with the world of culture, art, economy and sport’ held this Sunday in Madrid between the pontiff and representatives of civil society, where he highlighted that “the relationship between the Church and art has been decisive” and that “the Church has been the greatest producer of art for humanity.”
The actor, with an extensive international career, recalled that ‘Godspell’, the musical he recently directed and which is a work created in the pontiff’s country of origin (USA), means ‘the spell of God’.
“I am here today confessing to having been a victim of God’s spell,” said the protagonist of ‘The Mask of Zorro’ or ‘Desperado’, who thanked the Pope for having had the gesture of bringing together representatives of civil society at this event.
A “necessary” gesture according to Banderas, who highlighted the links between the arts and religion and noted, for example, that “with complete certainty the most represented figure in the history of art has been Jesus Christ.”
He stressed that art is the warning voice for societies that have become “accustomed to injustice”; Art, he added, “must be an alternative to violence. All violence,” at which point he was interrupted by applause from the audience.
“Just as Christ himself did, the artist must act with courage and not abandon being a critical instance of society, of art itself, and of religion itself,” continued an emotional Banderas.
He also recalled that in a world that is fragmenting, art helps recover the depth and soul that artificial intelligence tries to “steal.”
Banderas, amid more applause, ended with a nod to the Order of Saint Augustine to which Leo XIV belongs, making the saint’s words his own: “You say that the times are bad. Be better and the times will be better. You are the time.”
