News
Papal Conclave Yields a Holy Bounty of Memes
From comparisons to the US election to speculation about where the smoke really comes from, we’re turning to humor as we contend with a possibly frightening transfer of power.
Pope Francis
Opinion
Pope Francis’s Aesthetics of Humility
He chose a simple white cassock over velvet robes, disseminated photos of him kneeling before inmates and refugees, and believed in art as an intrinsic human right.
Art
Memes Blame JD Vance for Pope Francis’s Passing
The disgraced VP has been catapulted into the meme-o-sphere yet again due to the suspicious proximity of his visit to the Vatican and the Pope's death.
News
Pope Francis’s Most Timeless Insights on Art and Artists
Among his many legacies, the late pontiff left behind a trove of musings on contemporary art, the role of museums, and even the pitfalls of the art market.
News
“God’s Architect” Antoni Gaudí Could Be Made a Saint
Pope Francis declared venerable the giant of Catalan Modernisme, who infused motifs from nature and Christianity into his Sagrada Família and other landmarks.
News
Photos From the Pope's Historic First Visit to the Venice Biennale
Pope Francis visited the women's prison where the Vatican is presenting its pavilion exhibition this year.
News
Pope Francis Hosts Contemporary Artists at the Vatican
The pope embraced art that questions traditional narratives, a marked shift from his condemnation of León Ferrari’s “blasphemous” sculpture decades ago.
News
AI-Generated “Dope Francis” Fools the Internet
Many thought the picture of Pope Francis in a puffer jacket, created using Midjourney, was the real deal.
News
Vatican to Return Its Parthenon Marbles Fragments to Greece
Pope Francis called the works’ repatriation a “donation.”
Art
A History of Disease, Faith, and Recovery in Rome
What happens when an epidemic strikes and that profoundly human urge to kiss and touch items thought to be sacred becomes part of the problem?
Art
Library of Congress Celebrates First Handwritten Bible Commissioned by a Benedictine Monastery in Centuries
While the pomp around Pope Francis's United States tour recedes, the Library of Congress is marking one lasting legacy with a rare bible given in honor of his visit.
Opinion
The Pope Turns to the Devil's Music to Spread His Word
The Pope himself is looking to join the Beatles and Oasis in the pop canon with an LP of his own, Wake Up!