Oscar winning director Martin Scorsese met with Pope Francis today to discuss the upcoming faith-focused movie Silence, which tells the story of Jesuit persecution in 17th century Japan.

　　Reuters reports that the meeting took place in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace, with the pope telling Scorsese that he also read the 1966 Shusaku Endo novel that the movie is based on. There is no word on what else the pair discussed.

　　The movie may be of special interest to Francis, as he belongs to the Jesuit priestly order. Additionally, it's reported that Francis wanted to travel to Japan for missionary work but could not due to health reasons.

　　A screening of Silence for 400 Jesuit priests took place earlier this week, and Scorsese reportedly stayed for an hour after to answer questions.

　　"He was very engaged and energetic and really impressed the Jesuits in the audience with the depth of his spirituality," script adviser Father James Martin told Reuters. "You could not make a spiritual film like that without being a spiritual person. It would come off as empty."

　　Another screening, for a smaller audience, took place at the Vatican today, though it's unclear if the pope attended.

　　Silence is not Scorsese's first faith-based movie, as he also directed 1988's The Last Temptation of Christ. The film was criticized by Christians in part for a dream sequence where Jesus marries and has sex with Mary Magdalene.

　　Pope John Paul II saw Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ and endorsed it, while Angelina Jolie's Unbroken was screened in the Vatican in 2014. Francis did not watch that film, though he met with Jolie to discuss it, according to Deadline.

　　Silence opens in theaters on December 23.