Harry Styles has been spotted among the crowds in the Vatican City this week to witness the election of the new Pope.
In a photograph that has gone viral online, the former One Direction star appears to have been captured among the thousands in attendance in Saint Peter’s Square on Thursday (May 8) for the moment when Pope Leo XIV was unveiled as the successor to the late Pope Francis.
The photo shows Styles wearing sunglasses and a grey baseball cap with the slogan: “Techno is my boyfriend”. His attendance at the historic event was later confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter.
See the photo in question here, alongside social media reactions:
Harry Styles spotted in Rome for the new Pope announcement. pic.twitter.com/LqERgA7FNL
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) May 8, 2025
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 pic.twitter.com/fIRlOfvuFJ
— anna bea (@axlsugar) May 8, 2025
mind you harry styles was in Rome watching the new pope being announced wearing a cap that says “techno is my boyfriend” pic.twitter.com/aTi8blmAFF
— 💌 shit you should care about 💌 (@SYSCAbout) May 8, 2025
I do love Harry styles care free attitude. One of the most famous men on the planet and just does the things he wants to do. Like going and watching the pope. pic.twitter.com/js2tryDd3s
— Vicky🦩 (@mouldyscone) May 9, 2025
the pope seeing harry styles in the crowd today pic.twitter.com/WNBISc3P2F
— sam 🫧 (@satelliteonfilm) May 8, 2025
I can’t believe the new pope had the honor of being in the same location as Harry Styles and didnt even acknowledge his presence. Wow fame got to his head quick. pic.twitter.com/i6vNemoAa3
— maddy (@maddyhutss) May 8, 2025
It comes after reports that the real-life Cardinals that were electing the new pontiff had been seeking out the Oscar-winning 2024 film Conclave as a research tool for how the complex selection procedure works. Religious experts have praised the accuracy of the film, which dramatises the selection of a new Pope.
In a four-star review of Conclave, James Mottram wrote for NME: “While Conclave isn’t a hardline take down of an institution that has been beset by scandal this century, including cover-ups of sexual abuse by priests, it does acknowledge that the Church has much to do to modernise. What results is a film that both works as a finely-tuned thriller and a meditation on the Church’s place in today’s society. More robust than similar films like The Two Popes (2019) and We Have a Pope (2011), Conclave is a perfect winter warmer.”
As for Harry Styles, in March, he ran the Tokyo marathon, impressing fans with his finish time of 3:24:07.
Chloe Fineman also revealed in February that the singer was “devastated” by her impression of him while they worked together during the writing sessions for a 2019 episode of Saturday Night Live. “I did it and he was at the table and was so devastated by how bad it was,” she said.
