Pope Leo XIV marks 71st birthday with opening of water exhibit at Vatican Library

Pope Leo XIV marked his 71st birthday at the Vatican with the launch of an art exhibit focused on water at the Vatican Apostolic Library on Monday.

The pontiff inaugurated the exhibit, “AQVA,” part of the theme “Catastrophe and Wonder,” which will be on display at the Vatican Library through May 14, 2027. The exhibit includes artwork highlighting a “reflection on water as both a threat and a resource” and reflects a recent focus on promoting contemporary art at the Vatican.

Pope Leo XIV views the “AQVA Catastrophe and Wonder” exhibit at the Vatican Apostolic Library on Sept. 14, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez/EWTN News

‘The pope’s library is a heart’ The occasion also marked Leo’s first visit to the library since his election to the papacy in 2025. In his remarks , he described the Vatican Library — the pope’s library — as a beating heart and a symbol of life.

“How should we describe the pope’s library? I will use a metaphor: The Apostolic Library is a heart,” Leo said. “A beating heart is a symbol of life, and it results from two opposing movements, systole and diastole: a contraction and a relaxation, a movement towards the center and another towards the periphery.”…