The Pope playfully pretends to box with Sylvester Stallone and says he's 'honored' to meet the 'Rocky' star at the Vatican

• The Pope told Sylvester Stallone during his visit to the Vatican that he "grew up" with his films.
• Vatican News shared a video of Pope Francis and the Hollywood veteran meeting on social media.

Sylvester Stallone visited the Vatican this week where he discovered that the Pope is a fan of his films.

The Hollywood veteran and his family were received by Pope Francis in a private audience, according to Vatican News, the Vatican's official outlet.

In a video of the meeting posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on September 8, Stallone could be seen shaking hands with the Pontiff in the Apostolic Palace inside the Vatican.

After introducing his wife, Jennifer Flavin, daughters Sophia, Sistine, and Scarlet Stallone, and brother Frank Stallone, the "Rocky" star told the Pope: "Well, thank you very much for taking time from your busy day. We appreciate this very much."

"I am honored," the Pope said. "Well, I'm honored, too," Stallone replied, taken aback.

"We grew up with your films," the Pope added, via a translator.

"Ready? We box," the 77-year-old then jokingly responded before pumping his fists in reference to his iconic boxing film franchise. The Pope returned these with a few light air jabs himself.

After their conversation, the group assembled for a photograph.

"The Family Stallone" reality stars' trip to Italy also saw them visit Gioia del Colle, where the "Expend4bles" actor and his brother, 73, were named honorary citizens due to their family's roots in the area, according to the Catholic News Agency.

Stallone, the subject of the upcoming Netflix documentary "Sly," was raised a devout Catholic but stopped going to church during adulthood.

According to an interview with Catholic News Service, he rediscovered his faith after his eldest daughter fell ill as an infant in 1996 and by 2006 he considered himself a churchgoing Catholic again.