VIDEO : Richard Gere, George Clooney Receive Medals From Pope Francis at the Vatican

ROME Pope Francis on Sunday awarded medals to American actors Richard Gere and George Clooney and actress Salma Hayek at an event held at the Vatican to promote the work of a foundation inspired by the pontiff, Scholas Occurrentes. Clooney attended the event with his wife Amal, a lawyer. The foundation, whose name means "schools that meet" in Spanish, links technology with the arts, aiming at social integration and a cultural of peace. "Important values can be transmitted by celebrities," said one of the organizers, Lorena Bianchetti, adding that the actors had agreed to be ambassadors for one of the foundation's arts projects.