Lou Ferrigno, the actor famous for his role as the Incredible Hulk, met with Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday in Vatican City, describing it as a lifelong dream come true.
Ferrigno, who starred as the Marvel character during the television series' run from 1977 to 1982, spoke briefly with the pontiff at the conclusion of Leo XIV’s general audience held in St. Peter’s Square. Ferrigno noted that a portion of his family originates from the southern Amalfi region of Italy and that he grew up in a Catholic Italian household, even serving as an altar boy.
“I’m very, very honored to be here to see Pope Leo, because it’s my whole life, it’s a dream coming true,” Ferrigno told reporters. He posed for photographers, flexing his arm muscles in a gesture reminiscent of his iconic character’s transformation.
Ferrigno, a retired professional bodybuilder, has had a varied career in television and film, with some projects filmed in Rome. He expressed his appreciation for the pope’s message, stating, “Our world, our country needs someone like him: A great leader about kindness and peace, because there’s so much turmoil happening in this world.”
The notes indicate that Pope Leo XIV, originally from Chicago, was graduating from Villanova University and entering the Augustinian religious order by 1977, the year the Hulk television series premiered. The pope has recently mentioned that he and his family were regular viewers of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, an American TV and radio preacher who has been beatified.