Italy street artist, once a rebel with a brush, gets papal blessing

Friday, February 9th, 2024

When Italian artist Mauro Pallotta secretly pasted a mural depicting Pope Francis as a caped superhero on a wall near the Vatican a decade ago, Rome police removed it within hours.

Now the Vatican has given Pallotta, who signs his work “Maupal,” a seal of approval, allowing him to illustrate Francis’ message for the season of Lent this year.

On Thursday, Pallotta sat alongside a cardinal at a news conference, crowning his transition from a surreptitious nocturnal street artist to one now basking in a blessing from the Holy See’s number one man.

“It’s been quite a journey,” Pallotta, 51, said. Continue reading

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