Minnesota archdiocese to host exhibit of largest collection of papal artifacts outside of Rome

ST. PAUL, Minn. (OSV News) -- From Jan. 10 to Feb. 1, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis will host "Vatican Unveiled," an exhibit of the largest collection of papal artifacts outside of Rome, in celebration of the archdiocese's 175th anniversary.

The 19,000-square-foot exhibit -- curated by Father Richard Kunst, a priest of the Diocese of Duluth -- will be hosted at the Mall of America in Bloomington. Items will include a document with the second-oldest papal signature outside the Vatican and a Swiss Guard uniform, the archdiocese announced in a news release Oct. 6.

In a video announcing the exhibit, Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda extended the invitation "to a very special celebration of the 175th anniversary of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. It's called 'Vatican Unveiled,' and it is a special exhibit of the largest collection of papal and other artifacts outside of Vatican City, the home of the Catholic Church."

Father Kunst, ordained in 1998, has said he grew up collecting items. Before his ordination, he was a staff member for the late U.S. Sen. Rod Grams, a Republican from Minnesota.

The priest has developed a deep knowledge of the items in the "Vatican Unveiled" collection and a "passion for telling their stories," the archdiocese stated in the news release.

Father Kunst is the vocations director for the Duluth Diocese and a former columnist for The Northern Cross, a monthly diocesan newspaper in Duluth that ceased operations last November. The diocese recently announced in a Facebook post that it plans to publish The Northern Cross in a magazine format starting in December.