At 82, Robert De Niro thought he was flying to Rome for a quiet honor — not a worldwide controversy.

The legendary actor arrived in Italy this week to receive the city’s highest award, the Lupa Capitolina, recognizing his decades of cultural and humanitarian work. But the celebration soon turned political when De Niro — a long-time critic of former President Donald Trump — paid a visit to Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican.

In the now-viral footage, the two men smile warmly, shake hands, and share a few kind words as the Pope gifts him a rosary. For some, it was a touching moment between art and faith. For others, it was proof of politics creeping into sacred spaces. “Why are celebrities meeting the Pope before ordinary believers?” one frustrated viewer wrote. Another asked, “Is the Vatican turning into Hollywood?”

Yet not everyone saw scandal. Supporters called it a simple gesture of goodwill. “Popes have always met artists,” one Italian parishioner said. “Faith isn’t limited to the pulpit — it’s found in creativity too.”

As the debate rages online, De Niro appears unfazed, smiling through the storm. Perhaps, after all these years, he knows what few do — fame fades, but controversy never sleeps.