The Vatican unveils new Minecraft game for kids to virtually explore St. Peter’s Basilica

In a world where kids are consistently glued to their screens and Minecraft rules the digital playground, the Vatican is stepping up its game - literally.

Vatican officials have unveiled "Peter is Here", a Minecraft-based video game that lets players explore the wonders of St. Peter’s Basilica, all while learning about its artwork and history.

The game, developed in collaboration with Microsoft’s Minecraft Education programme, is part of the Vatican’s jubilee year project, aimed at introducing younger generations to the treasures of its cultural heritage.

“Essentially within the video game, it is a 3D representation, or 3D re-building of St. Peter’s Basilica, so you have a character in the game and you can walk through the hallways and explore the entire building. You can interact with the art pieces, the statues and the mosaics, and you can learn the history of each of those" explained Allison Matthews, the head of Minecraft Education at a press conference on Tuesday 18 March.

Cardinal Mauro Gambetti took a moment to reassure the media that the project had been well underway before Pope Francis was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. "I imagine here, if Pope Francis were here, he would say you did well to think of this. Even the way in which he lives, the way he testifies to his faith right now says that our perspective is eternal and of eternity. So what we do now is proof that through fun we are in a certain sense, transported to another dimension."

“He’s getting better,” Gambetti shared with a hopeful grin. “We pray a lot and wait for him to come back. This is what we want."

This is not the first time Minecraft has been used for educational purposes. Last year, UNITED24 recreated the famous Soledar salt mines within the game to spotlight Ukraine's ongoing conflict while raising crucial funds for the reconstruction of the Velyka Kostromka school, devastated by Russian attacks. 

A similar approach was taken in Fortnite by game designer Luc Bernard, who developed the platform’s first educational Holocaust museum. This virtual museum allows players to explore key moments in history, from the efforts of Abdol Hossein Sardari - an Iranian diplomat who issued thousands of passports to Jews fleeing Nazi-occupied France - to the stories of LGBTQ+ Jews and the Black Panther tank battalion that helped liberate Jewish prisoners.

Video editor • Theo Farrant