[1/5] Pope Francis paints a mural during a meeting with young members of Scholas Occurrentes in Cascais, Portugal, August 3, 2023. Vatican Media/­Handout via REUTERSLISBON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, whose predecessors commissioned the Vatican's Sistine Chapel centuries ago, tried his hand at painting on Thursday when he put the final touches on a 3 km long mural while visiting a school west of Lisbon. The mural is part of the "Life between Worlds" project by Scholas Occurrentes, an international educational movement that links about half a million schools on five continents. About 30 murals painted by students and community members were brought together to form a single work in the seaside town of Cascais. "It's very virtual but not very physical," José María Del Corral, president of Scholas Occurrentes, joked between the pope's first and second attempts.

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Persons: Pope Francis, Scholas, Scholas Occurrentes, Francis, Del Corral, Pope Sixtus IV, Michelangelo, Pope Julius II, Philip Pullella, Conor Humphries Organizations: Vatican, Handout, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Cascais, Portugal, REUTERS LISBON, Lisbon, Mozambique