Harry Styles' fans go wild as singer spotted in crowd to greet Pope Leo: ‘Whole new pop culture moment'

VATICAN CITY, VATICAN: Harry Styles’ ethereal love affair with casual public outings was on full display as he made a surprise appearance to greet Pope Leo (born Robert Francis Prevost), who was announced as the new pontiff in Vatican City on Thursday, May 8.

In a now-viral photo, the 31-year-old ‘One Direction’ alum was spotted by eagle-eyed fans in the crowd gathered in Saint Peter's Square to greet Pope Leo XIV, who is also the first American to assume the holy role. 

The Chicago native-turned pope was named the 267th leader of the Roman Catholic Church after achieving a two-thirds majority among cardinals in the secretive conclave.

Harry Styles’ low-profile appearance at Pope Leo XIV’s unveiling

The ‘Watermelon Sugar’ hitmaker gave his best to keep a low profile in St Peter's Square in Vatican City after the 2025 papal conclave. But his attempt failed miserably when a photo showing him among thousands gathered to greet the new pope went viral on social media.

In the picture, Styles can be seen sporting a blue jacket, sunglasses, and a baseball cap that reads “Techno is my boyfriend.” Notably, he sported the same facial hair when he attended Liam Payne’s funeral in November 2024.

According to ABC News, the Grammy-winning singer was also seen walking the streets of Rome ahead of the historic ceremony.

Styles' outing to St Peter's Square came just a few days after he was spotted running the marathon and casually traveling solo in and around Europe.

Styles has kept a low professional profile since the conclusion of his worldwide ‘Love on’ Tour in 2023, which came after his third studio album, ‘Harry's House’, was released in 2022, according to People.

During the lengthy tour, which launched in 2021, the singer fit in a few mini residencies, including a 15-show run at New York City’s Madison Square Garden and another 15 shows at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California.

Fans go wild as Harry Styles spotted in crowd to greet Pope Leo in Vatican City

Harry Styles’ surprise appearance at St Peter's Square to greet newly elected Pope Leo XIV sent his fans into a frenzy.

One bewildered fan wrote on X, “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.”

“He's more Italian than me atp,” another user wrote. “Harry Styles in Italy is something surreal," someone else commented, while another joked, “This event will reach more heights than METGALA, i guess.”

“He just breathes and gives us a whole new pop culture moment without even lifting a finger. oh harry styles, you're an icon,” one individual claimed.

“Harry is like Where’s Waldo? He always pops up in the most random places lol,” another pointed out.

“This definitely something he would do and he did lmao,” another fan added.

One person shared a meme and wrote, "The pope seeing harry styles in the crowd today." 

Another remarked, "Harry styles at the pope announcement is my new favorite sentence." 

One netizen said, "Ur telling me Harry Styles was standing in the crowd outside the Vatican yesterday experiencing the pope's announcement live😭😭😭." 

Another commented, "Harry styles at the vatican feels like when your ex shows up to your grandma's funeral looking hotter than ever."

One individual added, "If someone had asked me where Harry Styles might pop up today, the crowd at the Vatican would have been wayyyyyyyy down on the list."

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