‘Lost Leonardo’ may be displayed in Saudi Arabia

THE Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is reportedly preparing to put Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi on display for the first time since its purchase for $450 million in 2017 (News, 16 November 2017). On Tuesday, the British art historian Martin Kemp told an audience at Cheltenham Literary Festival that he had been asked to inspect the painting, and that he believed that a gallery was being constructed in Saudi Arabia to exhibit the work, opening in 2024. The painting depicts Christ raising his right hand in a blessing, and holding a transparent orb on his upturned left palm. The painting’s “discovery”, its controversial attribution to Leonardo, and the mystery surrounding its whereabouts since the sale were the subject of a documentary film released last year (Books, Arts, 10 September 2021).

CMS holds Indigenous Mission Congress

MORE than 80 delegates from Indigenous peoples in South America have attended an Indigenous Mission Congress organised by the Church Mission Society (CMS). It was held in La Caldera, in northern Argentina, from 6 to 10 October, and was the first of its kind in 20 years. At its conclusion, the congress approved a declaration that recommended the implementation of a process for training leaders for work in churches; the promotion of Indigenous languages in mission work; and the creation of centres for biblical study. CMS’s manager in Latin America, Paul Tester, said that the declaration “shows clear intent”. Speaking before the congress, Mr Tester said: “The relationship between Indigenous peoples and the invading cultures remains one that both we, and the Indigenous peoples, need to learn to navigate well.”

Charleston mass murderer’s appeal is rejected

THE Supreme Court of the United States has rejected an appeal from Dylann Roof, who, in 2015, killed nine people in a racially motivated attack on a Bible-study group at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina (News, 26 June 2015). The appeal concerned Roof’s decision to represent himself at his trial in 2017, when he was found guilty and sentenced to death. After his arrest, Roof reportedly told police that he had committed the murders because he wanted to provoke a race war.