Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Pope Leo XIV had a full-circle Blues Brothers moment in Rimini, Italy, meeting “Blue Lou” Marini—the saxophonist known for performing with the legendary Blues Brothers band. The Chicago-born pontiff told Marini he had been a fan since the beginning, turning the encounter into an unexpected pop-culture crossover between the Vatican and one of his hometown’s most iconic movies.
Marini arrived prepared: He presented the Pope with a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses in the style made famous by the film’s black-suited, hat-wearing brothers. In return, Pope Leo gave Marini two rosaries.
The meeting carried an extra layer of nostalgia after Vatican News resurfaced a photo of a young Robert Prevost dressed as a Blues Brother during his seminary years in Chicago. In the image, the future Pope wears the unmistakable uniform: black suit, black hat and dark sunglasses.
It was a brief meeting, but one that felt straight out of Chicago: a Pope, a saxophonist, a pair of shades—and a shared love of The Blues Brothers.
Marini lovingly ended his encounter with the Holy Father with words that were surely to fill Pope Leo’s heart, “I’m so happy for you and I’m proud of you.”
Read more at Churchpop.com!
✍🏻Claudette Jerez
📹: Vatican Media
Pope Leo XIV had a full-circle Blues Brothers moment in Rimini, Italy, meeting “Blue Lou” Marini—the saxophonist known for performing with the legendary Blues Brothers band. The Chicago-born pontiff told Marini he had been a fan since the beginning, turning the encounter into an unexpected pop-culture crossover between the Vatican and one of his hometown’s most iconic movies.
Marini arrived prepared: He presented the Pope with a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses in the style made famous by the film’s black-suited, hat-wearing brothers. In return, Pope Leo gave Marini two rosaries.
The meeting carried an extra layer of nostalgia after Vatican News resurfaced a photo of a young Robert Prevost dressed as a Blues Brother during his seminary years in Chicago. In the image, the future Pope wears the unmistakable uniform: black suit, black hat and dark sunglasses.
It was a brief meeting, but one that felt straight out of Chicago: a Pope, a saxophonist, a pair of shades—and a shared love of The Blues Brothers.
Marini lovingly ended his encounter with the Holy Father with words that were surely to fill Pope Leo’s heart, “I’m so happy for you and I’m proud of you.”
Read more at Churchpop.com!
✍🏻Claudette Jerez
📹: Vatican Media
