Washington D.C. [USA], Dec. 1 : Critically acclaimed director Martin Scorsese recently met Pope Francis at the Vatican City a day after his new film 'Silence' was shown to an audience of 300 Jesuit priests at a pontifical college.

The Vatican said the pope had received the 74-year-old director, his wife and two daughters for a "very cordial" 15-minute meeting in which they spoke about the experience of Jesuit missionaries in Japan, reports the Guardian.

The American director, who is said to have considered joining the priesthood when he was a young man, met the pope nearly three decades after his film 'The Last Temptation of Christ' was deemed "morally offensive" by officials in the Roman Catholic church.

Reportedly, Scorsese gave Pope Francis framed images depicting "hidden Christians" in Japan, including a reproduction of an ancient image of the 'Virgin of Nagasaki' and a portrait of the "martyrs of Japan" while the pope gave the guests some rosaries.

Among Scorsese's most famous films are 'Raging Bull', 'Taxi Driver', 'Goodfellas' and ' The Last Temptation of Christ', for which he was nominated for an Oscar for 'Best Director'.

' Silence' follows the journey two Portuguese Jesuit priests into 17th-century Japan, where they face violence and persecution as they travel to locate their mentor and propagate Christianity.

Starring Andrew Garfield, Liam Neeson, Adam Driver, Tadanobu Asano and Nana Komatsu, the movie is slated for an initial release in Australia on December 22, 2016. (ANI)