Lou Ferrigno Meets Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican
Lou Ferrigno shook hands with Pope Leo XIV in Vatican City on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. The meeting closed a circle the actor said he had dreamed about since childhood.
The greeting happened at the end of the pope's general audience in St. Peter's Square, according to ABC News. A general audience is the pope's weekly public gathering, with a short teaching and greetings for visitors and pilgrims. Ferrigno attended as part of that crowd before stepping forward to meet the pope.
Ferrigno is an American actor and retired professional bodybuilder. He is best known in the United States for playing the Hulk in the CBS television series that ran from 1977 to 1982. He co-starred with Bill Bixby, who played the scientist at the center of the story.
Before television, Ferrigno built his name in bodybuilding. He competed for a Mr. Olympia title, the sport's top prize for professional competitors. That strength and physical presence made him a natural fit when CBS cast its live-action Hulk.
Ferrigno said the Vatican visit was personal. He told reporters one side of his family hails from Italy's Amalfi region, a stretch of coastal towns south of Naples. He also noted the connection to Pope Leo XIV, who is American, as reported by ABC News.
He marked the moment with a wink to his most famous role. Ferrigno posed for photographers by raising his fists and bringing them down in a smashing motion. It was his nod to the Hulk transformation gesture that television viewers still remember.
The Associated Press also covered the meeting in a report titled "Hulk star Lou Ferrigno meets Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican," according to The Associated Press. The audience on Sept. 30 drew the usual mix of pilgrims, tourists and invited guests. Ferrigno stood out in that crowd. He smiled big.
For fans who grew up watching him, the image lands fast. Ferrigno was television's Hulk before big computer effects. Seeing that same pose in St. Peter's Square links two very different kinds of appointment viewing.
And for Ferrigno, the story was family and faith as much as fame. A son of Italian roots meeting an American pope in Rome.
