Mauro Pallotta's Lenten Art: A Call Against Money Idolatry

On the occasion of Lent, Mauro Pallotta, the Roman artist known for the Super Pope mural made ten years ago depicting the Pope in the Superman pose holding a briefcase labeled “Valores”, has produced another one of his works. The new illustration by the street artist was released by the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development - a sort of ministry of the Roman Curia for justice, peace, health, and human rights - and represents the Pope, on one side, and an elderly man, aided by a girl and a boy, on the other, pulling three ropes to pull down from the pedestal of Divinity the symbols of the euro, dollar, and yen. Title: “Either serve God or be enslaved by money”. Once again, Maupal is inspired by the many pronouncements of Pope Francis against the idolatry of money, which - as he has often warned - enslaves, destroys the weakest, and becomes an easy pass for the devil who “enters into pockets”. The depictions by Maupal are accompanying the message of Pope Francis for Lent 2024. This is the fourth of Maupal's images and is accompanied by a quote from the papal text: “Out with the idols that weigh us down, away with the attachments that imprison us. Then the shriveled and isolated heart will awaken.”