Drena De Niro Feels Late Son's Presence During Emotional Papal Visit

In November 2025, Drena De Niro, the daughter of renowned actor Robert De Niro, had an emotional encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican in Rome. Drena, accompanied by her father and brother Julian, described the experience as profoundly meaningful, as she felt the constant presence of her late son, Leandro, who had passed away from an accidental overdose in July 2023.

Drena expressed that she may never find the words to describe the "fullness in her heart" from standing in the Pope's presence and being surrounded by so much love and kindness. She shared that Leandro had been "showering them with signs of his constant presence" throughout the trip, from the mischievous way her mantilla kept falling off to the strange reminders to wear her pearl charm.

The visit came more than two years after Leandro's tragic death at the age of 19, and just weeks after five people were arrested in connection with his overdose. Drena found solace in the Pope's warm and kind acceptance of her "small token of reverence and affection," and she was grateful to have received a blessed rosary of pearls in Leandro's memory and in acknowledgment of all the young lives lost too soon.

As Drena continues to navigate the grief of losing her son, this encounter with the Pope has provided her with a sense of peace, higher power, and mission that she hopes all can one day know.