Harry Styles Makes Appearance at Pope Leo XIV’s Unveiling at Vatican

Harry Styles was among the thousands in attendance at the conclave election of Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Thursday (May 8).

The 31-year-old pop superstar was spotted in a now-viral photograph taken in Saint Peter’s Square, dressed in a blue jacket, sunglasses and a baseball cap that read “Techno is my boyfriend.”

The “Watermelon Sugar” hitmaker was also seen walking the streets of Rome ahead of the historic ceremony, according to ABC News.

Fans on social media quickly took note of the former One Direction member in the crowd.

“Little did the pope know he was waving to harry styles,” one fan wrote on X. Another added, “One thing about harry styles, he’s always going to accidentally serve cinema somewhere in europe.”

Pope Leo XIV was elected following the death of Pope Francis in April at the age of 88. Chicago-born missionary Robert Prevost, 69, was chosen by Catholic cardinals to become the 267th pontiff and the first-ever U.S.-born pope.

Styles has kept a relatively low professional profile since wrapping up his global Love on Tour in 2023, which followed the release of his third studio album, Harry’s House, in 2022. During the lengthy trek, which launched in 2021, the singer fit in a few mini residencies, including a 15-show run at New York City’s Madison Square Garden and another 15 shows at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif. 

Harry’s House spawned the 15-week Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “As It Was,” spent two weeks atop the Billboard 200, and earned him album of the year at the 2023 Grammy Awards.

Since then, Styles has been spotted traveling the world, recently participating in the Tokyo Marathon in March, where he finished 6,010th out of more than 37,000 runners. He also joined a running club in London in April.