Joseph Fiennes says he ‘blubbered like a baby’ when he met Pope Francis

Shakespeare in Love star Joseph Fiennes has admitted to “blubbering like a baby” when he met the Pope last week.

The actor met Francis during his general audience last Wednesday with his wife, Swiss model Maria Dolores Dieguez, and two daughters.

Fiennes told the Guardian: “I tried to maintain a face that was calm and cool but I blubbered like a baby. I don’t know what it is – he’s authentic.”

The actor, who met the Pope ahead of the launch of his new film Risen, added: “I like what he represents. I feel it’s something tangible to me in the modern age. He’s a man who carries his own suitcase. He’s a man that doesn’t want the pomp and the ceremony. He’s stripping it down.

“I like that he’s challenging, especially in today’s world. I think it’s wonderful that he represents an authenticity that speaks to the people. So he’s an important man, he’s deeply connected in a spiritual way.”

Fiennes and his wife married in a Catholic ceremony in 2009.