ROME—Pope Benedict XVI has asked hundreds of artists, writers, and musicians to meet with him in the Vatican this fall in an initiative to rekindle “the special historical relationship between faith and art,” but at least one invitee won’t be there. Video artist Bill Viola has turned down the invitation because “he doesn’t agree with many of the policies put forth by the Vatican and the Catholic Church,” says a source at the James Cohan Gallery, which represents the artist.

The Vatican event is intended to bridge the gap between spirituality and artistic expression, the Catholic News Service says, and the guests will gather with the pope under Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel on Nov. 21. Not all the names have been disclosed yet, but some of those confirmed are U2 front man Bono, Freedom Tower architect Daniel Libeskind, film composer Ennio Morricone, and theater director Bob Wilson.

Viola, in fact, is no stranger to devotional art; he is currently in Europe for the opening of a solo, spiritually themed exhibition titled "Intimate Works" at the De Pont Museum in the Netherlands. It includes such works as Observance, described as an attempt to synthesize "the devotional painting of the Middle Ages and Renaissance."

Read more at Artnet and the Catholic News Service.