Vatican’s Christmas Campaign: Substituting Sacred for Secular Spectacle
The Vatican News portal (December 29, 2025) reports that large screens near the Vatican display images and messages from antipope Robert Prevost (“Leo XIV”) as part of a Christmas initiative by the Dicastery for Communication. The campaign, running through December 31, features photographs of the antipope alongside phrases promoting “peace, hope, and fraternity,” described as a “sign of spiritual closeness.” The project, conducted with the advertising company Selfiestreet, replaces commercial advertisements in Rome’s public spaces, including areas adjacent to Vatican Museums.