Matthew McConaughey Says Meeting Pope Leo XIV Prompted More Thoughts on His Political Ambitions: 'I'm Excited'

Matthew McConaughey revealed that his recent meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican reinforced his diplomatic views on governance and caused his long-discussed political ambitions to resurface.

During a new interview, the Oscar winner explained that the experience highlighted how core spiritual values can positively influence political frameworks. McConaughey described the Pope as a "moral compass" for the entire world, praising his wisdom and surprising sense of humor.

“I wanted to talk to him about religion in today’s world and where it sits with him as our moral compass. Where is religion today? Why has it declined? Why do we see a surge in youth running toward it? They’ve tried other things that they're seeing are vapid and don’t really work because they’re looking for more,” he told USA Today.

While reaffirming his belief in the separation of church and state, he argued that religious values regarding human dignity should naturally "bleed down" into political systems.

The Dallas Buyers Club actor expressed excitement over the concept of a shared "constitution" built on commonalities that all major religions could agree on.

“Even though I agree with the separation of church and state, the values of those should bleed down into the values of any political system,” he explained. “There’s still a constitution out there to be written that all religions could agree on. There's so much commonality. It’s a constitution that I’m excited about seeing — I don't know, maybe even adding to or working on. That would be a great thing to share.”

McConaughey also intended to discuss artificial intelligence with the Pope, warning that people are beginning to view AI as a "digital God" and emphasizing the need for standard guardrails.

“There are already people looking to AI as their digital God. Whether we like what it looks like or not, it is going to represent a true image of mankind by the questions we ask of it and the results we want of it. We may not like what we see when we look in the mirror, but we could also love what we see. It could be a greater truth,” he said. “At the same time, there’s a definite need for caution going forward because we’re going to have to be the users of that tool and not let it tool us, so to speak.”

Despite teasing these grander philosophical goals for governance, McConaughey remains highly diplomatic about a concrete run for office.

Self-described as "aggressively centrist," he has previously been eyed for political roles — such as Governor of Texas. However, he maintains that he will not consider a major pivot into politics until his three children are fully grown.

He has three children with his wife, Camila Alves: Levi (born 2008), Vida (born 2010) and Livingston (born 2012).

Throughout 2021, McConaughey seriously considered running for Governor of Texas, and early polling showed him leading incumbent Greg Abbott.

In November 2021, he officially announced via a video message that he would not run in the 2022 cycle. He concluded that entering politics was "not the right category" for his life at that moment.

He has argued that politics needs a massive "redefinition of purpose" and shouldn't feel like a reality TV show designed for viral online outrage.

Positioning himself as aggressively centrist, he framed his hypothetical campaign message as a dare to partisans: "Meet me in the middle – I dare you." He has criticized both the excesses of the right and what he termed the "illiberal left."

Over the last several years, he has described himself as being on a continuous "learning tour.”

He has actively met with various U.S. governors to study the category and figure out his exact "embassy.”

Following the school shooting in his hometown of Uvalde, Tx., he gave a major speech at the White House calling for stricter background checks and "gun responsibility" rather than partisan gun control.

In addition, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he promoted mask-wearing as a "small investment," lamenting its heavy politicization. He has also stated that "it should be easier to vote" for all eligible citizens without criminal records.