Redford and his wife, German artist Sibylle Szaggars, were spotted in the general audience for the weekly Papal Mass in St. Peter's Square.

The pope, 82, and Redford, 83, clasped hands as Redford said, "Holy Father, my name is Robert Redford and I want to thank you for all you've done for the environment."

"God bless you," Pope Francis responded, and Redford thanked him. The pope then continued with what has become his signature request: "Pray for me."

"I do," Redford replied.

Redford himself has Irish Catholic heritage, although in a 2007 interview with a noted magazine that he found faith not in organized religion but rather in the existing world around him. Continue reading