In perhaps one of the more absurd stories to kick off the beginning of 2022, the Pope has just watched a circus perform, set to music from Undertale.
As spotted by fans on Twitter (and reported by The Gamer), the Pope appears to have started the new year the right way by watching a group of circus performers put on a display to the sound of Undertale’s ‘Megalovania’.
For context, each week Pope Francis holds a General Audience. Often attended by groups of pilgrims, the Pope uses the event to impart his benedictions to those present in a number of different languages before sometimes also hosting performers to entertain his guests. While these performances vary and come in a range of varieties, the most recent featured a sllightly bemusing display by a group of circus performers who executed a routine to the backing of Sans’ theme from Undertale.
This year just started and we already have the insanity of Megalovania being performed in front of the Pope. pic.twitter.com/QBxGtl9v1c
— Ultima | #вʟм (@UltimaShadowX) January 6, 2022
As can be seen in the tweet above, the whole thing comes off a little jarring. Between performers juggling objects in a multitude of ways, a short trip out by a red-dressed unicyclist, and a member of the group positioned upside down on a chair twirling a large baton between their feet, it’s not like there wasn’t plenty to keep the audiences attention held.
However, between the large gathering of circus performers who stood awkwardly out of place in the background, a pretty lifeless-looking audience, and the Pope’s stern-looking Swiss guard positioned nearby, the whole thing pulls together in a rather unusual way.
While it’s pretty unlikely that he has ever got around to finishing Undertale, technically the idea of the Pope booting up the game isn’t actually as absurd as it sounds. In 2016, the YouTuber MatPat met His Holiness and gifted him a copy of the game during their interaction. So, while it’s still pretty likely not actually the case, who knows, perhaps the backing music was chosen by Pope Francis himself.
Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.