POPE LEO XIV (May 2025): Cardinal Robert Prevost (US/Peruvian dual citizenship) elected Pope, taking the name Leo XIV. The name has generated significant speculation: the last Pope Leo (Leo XIII) established the Vatican Observatory in the late 19th century, cementing the Church’s formal relationship with astronomical science. DANIEL SHEEHAN (attorney, former general counsel to US Jesuit HQ Washington, former Vatican adviser) told NewsNation: “I think that he is going to be the disclosure pope.” Sheehan stated the Church’s disclosure will come “in the same way that we are going to have disclosure of what the American government knows about this in the next handful of years.” Sheehan also confirmed: over 40 classified experts have provided similar testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee. He referenced a 2009 Vatican statement acknowledging the likelihood of discovering extraterrestrial life. VATICAN OBSERVATORY / GUY CONSOLMAGNO SJ: Brother Guy Consolmagno SJ, Director of the Vatican Observatory (appointed by Pope Francis 2015, also awarded the Carl Sagan Medal), has said publicly: “I believe aliens exist, but I have no evidence. I would be really excited — it would make my understanding of my religion deeper and richer in ways I can’t even predict yet, which is why it would be exciting.” However, Consolmagno also stated (November 2025 email to Catholic News Service): “Sadly, having been burned in the past, we’ve made the decision at the Vatican Observatory to simply avoid talking about the topic at all.” The Vatican Observatory’s official policy is now to avoid the UAP/UFO topic entirely. POPE FRANCIS (2014): “If tomorrow an expedition of Martians came, and some of them said ‘I want to be baptized!’ — Who am I to close the doors?” Father Jose Funes SJ (previous Vatican Observatory director) said there was no conflict between faith and “extraterrestrial brothers” created by God. CROSS-REFERENCE: Gary Nolan (Stanford biologist, Sol Foundation co-founder, key dossier figure) co-founded the Sol Foundation in 2023 specifically to initiate Vatican dialogue. The Sol Foundation is “confident that at least some UFOs are genuine vehicles of non-human origin.” Source: NewsNation May 2025 / Vatican Observatory Foundation / Catholic News Service