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REVEALED: The sistine chapel - The Real Truth

In his first year as pope, Leo has emphasised peace, unity and social responsibility - and shown he won’t be stared down

When white smoke rose above the Sistine Chapel on May 8 2025, the surprise was immediate. The Catholic Church’s leadership had elected its first pope born in the United States, a former Augustinian missionary in Peru who few expected to win.

The Conversation

A rare look inside the Sistine Chapel for a private concert about angel encounters

The Vatican’s Sistine Chapel hosted a concert debuting a composition focused on interactions with angels found throughout the Bible

The Independent UK

Vatican removes sweaty coating on Michelangelo’s ‘The Last Judgment’

Climate change also has a role to play

The Independent UK

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Michelangelo hated painting the Sistine Chapel – and never aspired to be a painter to begin with

When a 5-inch-by-4-inch red chalk drawing of a woman’s foot by Michelangelo sold at auction for US$27.2 million on Feb. 5, 2026, it blew past the $1.5 million to $2 million it was expected to receive.

The Conversation

Why Michelangelo’s ‘Last Judgment’ endures

Michelangelo’s fresco of “The Last Judgment,” covering the wall behind the altar of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, is being restored. The work, which started on Feb. 1, 2026, is expected to continue for three months.

The Conversation

The $23 million foot: Lost Michelangelo sketch sets auction record

A previously unknown Michelangelo foot sketch, identified as a study for the Libyan Sibyl on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, sold for $23 million at Christie's. The drawing, inherited and passed down through a family for centuries, was authenticated through infrared analysis and stylistic comparisons.

The Times of India

Rare Michelangelo foot sketch for Sistine Chapel fresco fetches record €23 million at auction

An extremely rare sketch of a foot by Michelangelo for the Sistine Chapel has sold for a record €23 million at a Christie's auction in New York. The recently discovered drawing was part of a study for the Libyan Sibyl on the ceiling of the chapel in the Vatican.

Euronews

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Pope Leo baptises 20 babies in tradition marking end of Christmas

The celebration marks the feast day that recalls Jesus’ baptism in the River Jordan and was established in 1981 by St. John Paul II

The Independent UK

King to pray at public service with Pope during state visit to Vatican

Charles, Supreme Governor of the Church of England, and Pope Leo XIV will pray together during an ecumenical service in the Sistine Chapel.

Evening Standard

King to pray at public service with Pope during state visit to Vatican

Charles, Supreme Governor of the Church of England, and Pope Leo XIV will pray together during an ecumenical service in the Sistine Chapel.

Evening Standard

King Charles to pray with Pope Leo at public service in historic first

The King will become the first British monarch to pray at a public service with the Pope since the Reformation

The Independent UK

The 10 Most Beautifully Illustrated Graphic Novels

Looking at pretty pictures may perhaps be the oldest human pastime – we’ve been doing it since prehistory! Ever since primitive humans stepped out of their caves and sighed at the beauty of the natural world, they attempted to replicate it on cave walls, preserving their fire-discovering, wheel-inventing stories for…

The Mary Sue

Is Pope Leo XIV liberal or conservative? Why these labels don’t work for popes

The 133 cardinal electors sequestered in the Sistine Chapel elected a new pope May 8. The choice was a surprise — Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Prevost, who has carried out most of his ministry in Peru, before being elevated to Vatican roles by Pope Francis.

The Conversation

Pope Leo XIV holds his first Mass in the Sistine Chapel: 'We are a community'

Continuing the cycle of traditions that await a new pope, the newly elected pontiff addressed his cardinals in English and Italian.

Euronews

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The Guardian - AU

Pope Leo XIV laments people valuing ‘technology, money and success’ over Christianity in first mass as pontiff – as it happened

Pope held mass for cardinals in the Sistine Chapel on Friday morning

The Independent UK

Leo XIV's brother recalls feeling of 'disbelief' over his sibling becoming pope

When white smoke poured out of the Sistine Chapel revealing that a new pope had been chosen, John Prevost turned on his television in Illinois and watched in awe as his brother’s name was announced

The Independent UK

Watch how cardinals celebrated Pope Leo XIV being chosen in rare Conclave video

Rare footage from inside the Conclave to select the new Pope shows cardinals applauding Leo XIV as he left the Sistine Chapel on Thursday, 8 May.

Evening Standard

PopeCrave, brat fancams and 7m views: how Gen Z went wild for the papal conclave

As the whole world waited for white smoke to billow out of the Sistine Chapel, no one appeared quite as enraptured as Gen Z. Maddy Mussen finds out what’s fuelled their unexpected obsession

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Al Jazeera

Eat, nap, vote: Inside the Vatican conclave to choose the next pope

What actually takes place when the cardinals are not casting their votes during the papal conclave?

Euronews

Thousands watch black smoke billow from Sistine Chapel

Black smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Wednesday evening, indicating no pope was chosen as cardinals began their sacred task to succeed Pope Francis.

Euronews

Pope Leo XIV addresses Vatican crowd as new leader of the Catholic Church

Cardinals from around the world have elected the next pontiff, following the late Pope Francis' passing on 21 April. Follow Euronews' live blog for the latest updates.

The Independent UK

The Latest: Cardinals vote in the Vatican for a second day to elect a new pope

Catholic cardinals are returning to the Sistine Chapel for a second day of voting to try and elect a new pope

The Independent UK

What to expect as conclave enters second day of voting for new pope

Black smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday, which signalled an unsuccessful first round of voting

The Independent UK

Cardinals return to the Sistine Chapel to vote on a new pope after the first ballot fails

Cardinals are returning to the Sistine Chapel to continue voting for a new pope

Al Jazeera

Black smoke as Vatican conclave fails to elect new pope on first ballot

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Vatican City’s St Peter’s Square as cardinals voted in first ballot.

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