The Holy See is participating in Expo 2025 Osaka, running from 13 April to 13 October, with a pavilion centered on the Jubilee theme “Beauty Brings Hope.” A centerpiece of its presence is Caravaggio’s The Entombment of Christ (1603-1604), one of the finest works of 17th-century European art, specially transported from the Vatican Pinacoteca to Japan for the occasion.
Newsroom (May 27, 2025, 11:15, Gaudium Press) On the 26th May 2025 , a series of Art Talks held in the Italian Pavilion explored the painting’s significance and the international collaboration that facilitated its journey. Auxiliary Bishop Andrea Lembo of Tokyo, a prelate with 16 years of service in Japan, opened the discussion with a reflection titled ‘Caravaggio’s Entombment: A Shared Pain, a Cure That Saves.’
A Universal Message Beyond Religion
Bishop Lembo invited the audience to view the painting through the lens of universal humanity, stripping away religious context.
“Imagine seeing this scene without knowing the Gospel—no names, no doctrine. Before us lies a lifeless body, surrounded by grieving figures. No halos, no glorification. Only raw humanity: flesh, gravity, silence,” he said.
He noted that Caravaggio’s depiction of Christ’s body is strikingly real—heavy, twisted, unidealized—while the surrounding figures each express grief in distinct ways. The interplay of light and shadow (Chiaroscuro), a hallmark of Caravaggio’s style, deepens the emotional impact.
This deposed and loved body is no exception. It is the image of every man. We have all passed through a mother’s womb, we have all been swaddled, fed, cradled,” said the bishop. “One day we shall all be naked again, fragile, unable to stand on our own. It is precisely there, in the two extremes of life, birth and death, that one realises what really saves: not strength, not fame, not knowledge, but caring.”
“No one escapes,” Lembo added in reference to the people surrounding the deposed body. None drives away pain, which is both “physical” and “in the soul”. “Caravaggio does not ask us to believe. He only asks us to look. And in trying to recognise that that body could be ours, and that those hands that support it are the only true response to the pain of the world,” the prelate noted.
“In an age in which we run, forget, turn our gaze in indifference, the deposition reminds us of a simple and profound truth: In the fragility of humanity, care becomes the highest form of hope and therefore of beauty.”
A Historic Loan for the Jubilee Year
Dr. Barbara Jatta, Director of the Vatican Museums, followed with insights into the logistical and symbolic significance of bringing The Entombment to Osaka.
“This is one of the Vatican’s most important works, normally seen by millions in Rome,” she said. The decision to lend it during the Jubilee Year, when pilgrim numbers are high, required careful deliberation—including approval from then Pope Francis himself.
“The Pope wanted this masterpiece shared at a global event, even far from home,” Jatta explained. “Many visitors here may never see it in the Vatican. This is our mission: not just to preserve art, but to share it.”
A Painting with a Turbulent Past
Jatta recounted the artwork’s history: commissioned for Rome’s Church of Santa Maria in Vallicella, it was seized by Napoleon’s forces and displayed in the Louvre until 1816, when Antonio Canova secured its return. A copy now stands in its original chapel.
Despite initial concerns over its six-month absence, Jatta said the Expo display aligns with the Vatican Museums’ mission: “This heritage belongs to the world. Osaka is a perfect opportunity to pass it on.”
The Holy See Pavilion at Expo 2025 continues to draw visitors with Caravaggio’s masterpiece—a powerful meditation on suffering, compassion, and the unifying power of care.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Asianews.it
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