Pope Installs Ball Pit in Sistine Chapel

Combining sacred art with childlike wonder, Leo XIV commissioned a 10 000-ball pit beneath Michelangelo’s frescoes. Pilgrims leap into technicolor orbs, chanting “Alleluia!” as they descend. Psychologists call it “cathedral catharsis,” boosting joy and reducing liturgical anxiety. The pope remarked, “Sometimes a dive of faith looks a lot like a cannonball.”