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What the Sistine chapel says to the cardinals

Seven keys to unlocking the art of the conclave

Elizabeth Lev
May 06, 2025
∙ Paid

In a matter of hours, all eyes will be on the Sistine chapel as the College of Cardinals gathers to elect a new pope.

For most tourists and many novelists, the paintings in the Sistine chapel merely serve as an ornamental backdrop to the politicking and intrigues of the conclave.Yet every brushstroke is charged with meaning.

St John Paul II, who oversaw t…

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