Martin Scorsese Meets Pope Francis

— -- Thirty years ago, Martin Scorsese -- who was raised Catholic, and even thought of becoming a priest before he found cinema -- was rebuked by the Vatican for his controversial film "The Last Temptation of Christ."

Pope Francis through the years

Pope Francis through the years

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Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Dec. 17, 1936. He is well known for his devotion to the poor and his progressive views. Bergoglio joined the Society of Jesus in 1958. He was named the archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was created a cardinal in 2001. In 2013 he was elected pope, becoming the first Jesuit pope in nearly 500 years.

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The movie, which starred Willem Dafoe as a Jesus Christ, was deemed morally offensive by the city-state home of the pope and the headquarters of the Catholic Church.

However, Wednesday was a kind of come-to-Jesus moment for the filmmaker, who was personally invited by Pope Francis to meet the pontiff.

Scorsese had been in Rome and screened his new film "Silence" on Tuesday.

Set in the 17th century, the film has Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver playing Portuguese Jesuit priests who travel to then-isolated Japan, to try to find their mentor, played by Liam Neeson, who vanished on a mission in the country where practicing Christianity was punishable by torture and even death.

According to USA Today, during the director's meeting with Pope Francis, the pontiff explained he had read the book on which the new movie is based.

The movie opens in limited release Dec. 23.