MARTIN SCORSESE has spoken to Pope Francis about what he describes as the 'painful human failings of the institution of the Church itself" during a meeting with the pontiff in Rome.
The filmmaker was joined by the Pope for the launch of the book Sharing The Wisdom Of Time at the Augustinianum Institute in the Italian capital.
Scorsese, who previously met Pope Francis back in 2016, stooped to kiss the hand of the Catholic leader before addressing his concerns over the "painful human failings of the institution of the Church".
The New York native was seeking advice on how the elderly can help guide young people through troubled times.
"I experienced that there was a truth in the street and that there was a truth presented to us in the church and that they weren't or didn't seem to be the same and it was very, very difficult to put the two of them together, to reconcile the two worlds," Scorsese said [via Daily Mail].
"How can we, elderly people, strengthen and guide the young in what they've got to go through yet in life?" he asked.
"How, Holy Father, can the faith of a young woman or man survive in this maelstrom, how can we help the church in this endeavour?"
Responding to Scorsese's questions, the Pope explained that people should not hide their emotions.
"How can we react to the cruelty, the great cruelty... and the little cruelty that we all have; how can we teach young people that cruelty is the wrong path, a path that kills not just individuals, but humanity, the sense of belonging to a community?"
"Here there is a word that we must speak: the wisdom of weeping. The gift of crying.' Pope Francis said, [via the Catholic News Service].
"Before this violence, this cruelty, this destruction of human dignity, weeping is human and Christian. Ask for the grace of tears, because crying softens the heart, it opens the heart, it is a source of inspiration. Cry."
Scorsese wrapped on his latest film, The Irishman, earlier this year.
A biographical crime drama, the film stars Robert De Niro and gangster and labour union boss Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran and is due to be released on Netflix next year.
