- 17 July, 2025
Vatican City, July 17, 2025 – Two months after Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected as the Bishop of Rome and took the name Pope Leo XIV—becoming the first pope born in the United States—an unusual silence surrounds his public image. While souvenir shops around St Peter’s Square continue to sell mugs, magnets, and postcards featuring Pope Francis, Saint John Paul II, and Benedict XVI, the face of Pope Leo XIV is curiously absent.
This absence, however, is not due to any official ban. Rather, the Holy See has yet to issue the customary authorisation allowing the commercial use of the new pope’s image, according to reports by Spain’s EFE news agency and the bishops’ radio network COPE. Without this approval, retailers are barred from producing or selling merchandise bearing his likeness—an unexpected shift from recent precedent, where such permissions were typically granted within days of a pope’s election.
The move has stirred confusion among shopkeepers and pilgrims alike. “It’s the first time this has ever happened,” said a seasoned vendor near Borgo Pio. “Even with Benedict and Francis, we had something to sell almost immediately. Tourists ask every day.” For many visitors, papal souvenirs serve not merely as keepsakes but as symbols of spiritual connection and memory. Their absence has created more than just a gap on store shelves—it has prompted quiet reflection on how Pope Leo XIV may be reshaping the papacy’s relationship with public visibility.
Though the Vatican has offered no official explanation, the silence itself seems deliberate. It aligns with the pope’s emerging profile: discreet, austere, and seemingly uninterested in personal publicity. Some observers believe this approach reflects his American upbringing and a discomfort with celebrity culture. Others interpret it as a quiet gesture, one that seeks to refocus attention on the sacred office of the papacy rather than the individual who holds it.
The Vatican has long navigated a delicate balance between safeguarding the dignity of the papal office and permitting a cottage industry that supports many Roman families. In choosing not to follow recent practice, Pope Leo XIV appears to be signalling a more reserved, even contemplative, approach to his public image.
For now, the face of the new pope remains unseen in souvenir stalls—but continues to echo daily in churches and on the lips of the faithful. Whether temporary or symbolic, this quiet departure from tradition is already speaking volumes.
Courtesy: Zenit
Image credit: Flickr
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