Fans Think Harry Styles Was at the New Pope Announcement in Rome
A sign of the times? Harry Styles fans think the pop icon made an incognito appearance for Pope Leo XIV’s first public speech on Thursday, May 8.
The Catholic Church confirmed on Thursday that Robert Francis Prevost had been selected as the first-ever American pope at the conclusion of its two-day papal conclave in Vatican City. The new pope chose to rechristen himself with the name Leo as he ascended to the papacy.
Thousands gathered outside St. Peter’s Basilica to hear Pope Leo speak for the first time — and apparently the former One Director star was among them. Fans shared a photo of someone looking very much like Styles — albeit wearing dark glasses and a baseball cap bearing the slogan “Techno Is My Boyfriend” — among the crowd waiting for Pope Leo’s speech.
Styles has developed a reputation for popping up in unexpected places, as he took part in the annual Tokyo Marathon in March. He finished the race with an impressive time of 3:24:07 and was ranked as 6,010th overall.
“Harry styles is so random, one day he’s at the grammys winning album of the year, then he’s running a marathon in japan, but he could also be in rome waiting for the announcement of the new pope, i love being his fan,” one fan wrote via X.
Another fan joked, “Can’t believe the new pope got a glimpse of Harry styles on his first day of the new job.”
“Watching the new pope with a ‘techno is my friend’ hat. you’re actually funniest most fascinating person ever, @harry_styles,” one X user added.
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Us Weekly has reached out to Styles’ representatives for clarification on his whereabouts.
There were rumors earlier this year that Styles was going to announce a surprise 35-date concert residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas, though a spokesperson for the venue exclusively confirmed to Us Weekly that nothing of the sort was planned.
“To set the record straight, there has never been plans for Harry Styles to perform at Sphere,” a representative for the Vegas venue told Us.
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As for the new pope, he made history as both the first American and the first person from the North American continent to ascend to the papacy. Of the 266 popes throughout the Catholic Church’s 2,000-year history, a vast majority — 217, or 87 percent overall — have come from Italy.
Pope Leo spent much of his early career in the Chicago archdiocese before undertaking a spiritual mission in Peru in 1985. He became a naturalized citizen of Peru in 2015 and was appointed the archbishop of the Peruvian city of Chiclayo by Pope Francis in 2023.
During his first address at St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo promoted themes of unity and responsibility, both within the Catholic community and the wider world.
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“God loves us. God loves you all. And evil will not prevail. We are all in the hands of God,” Pope Leo, 69, told followers in his first public statement from St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday. “Therefore, without fear, united, hand in hand with God and among ourselves, let us go forward.”
He went on: “We are disciples of Christ. Christ precedes us. The world needs his light. Humanity needs him as the bridge to be reached by God and his love. Help us too, then, each other, to build bridges — with dialogue, with encounter — uniting all of us to be one people, always in peace.”
Pope Leo assumes office in Vatican City following the death of Francis from a cerebral stroke in April.
