A quote attributed to the new Pope is circulating widely online, but we could find no evidence he actually said this.
Search Results (359) for: pope
Full Fact→ Image showing new Pope with rappers is altered
The picture is actually a composite, in which an image of the new Pope has been added to a photograph from 2020.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Pope Leo XIV Turning Away From Pride Flag — It’s The "Pace" (Peace) Flag
Does a video posted to social media show Pope Leo XIV turning away from a Pride flag as he moves through a receiving line? No, that's not true: It's not a Pride flag but a flag commonly flown at Italian peace marches that says "PACE," whi
The Dispatch→ Pope Leo XIV and a New Age of ‘New Things’
Why looking back to the last Leo would be good for this one.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Pope Leo XIV Said "Be Woke" Or That Statement Containing That Phrase Is Authentic
Did Pope Leo XIV release a statement in which he said "Be woke"? No, that's not true: There is no trace of such a statement on the website of the Vatican and no news sources indexed by Google News have reported on it. Had such a statement
The Dispatch→ Pope and Change
Politicizing an American pontiff.
Lead Stories→ New Pope, New Conspiracies, But At The Speed Of Social Media
ROME - That puff of white from atop the Sistine Chapel has long been a starting gun for conspiracists. With a new character in the story, they proclaim they alone tell the truth about dark forces playing pontifical puppeteers. These stori
PolitiFact→ X posts – Fact-check: Is new pope linked to anarchist zone as viral headline claims?
Headline said, “Pope Leo XIV was a founding member of the 2020 anarchist Portland Autonomous Zone known as CHAZ.”
PolitiFact→ X posts – Is the new pope a ‘registered Republican’? No, but Robert Prevost has voted in GOP primaries
Robert Prevost, the Roman Catholic cardinal who was chosen to be the new pope, is a “registered Republican.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Pope Leo XIV Was A ‘Celebrated’ Jazz Trombone player AKA ‘Bobby Prev’ In His Spare Time In Chicago
Did Robert Francis Prevost moonlight as "Bobby Prev", a "celebrated jazz trombonist" in Chicago who "headlined several jazz festivals in the '70s and '80s"? No, that's not true: The archives of the Chicago Tribune, which has long provided
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Fake Headline About Pope Leo XIV And 2020 Anarchist ‘CHAZ’ Protest Did NOT Appear In New York Times — Location Wrong, Too
Did the New York Times publish a story headlined "Pope Leo XIV Was a Founding Member of the 2020 Anarchist Portland Autonomous Zone Known as CHAZ"? No, that's not true: A faked screenshot of such a headline also claimed Robert Francis Pre
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Fake Headline About Pope Leo XIV And 2020 Anarchist ‘CHAZ’ Protest Did NOT Appear In New York Times — Location Wrong, Too
Did the New York Times publish a story headlined "Pope Leo XIV Was a Founding Member of the 2020 Anarchist Portland Autonomous Zone Known as CHAZ"? No, that's not true: A faked screenshot of such a headline also claimed Robert Francis Pre
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: New Pope Leo XIV Is NOT ‘Registered Republican’ — He Voted In Republican Primaries But Illinois Voters Needn’t Declare Party Affiliation When Registering
Does a viral image prove that the newly elected U.S.-born Pope Leo XIV is a "registered Republican" from Will County, Illinois? That omits some context: According to the Will County Clerk's Office file, the new Pope did vote in Republican
Lead Stories→ White Smoke: Cardinals Choose American Robert Prevost As Pope Leo XIV — What We Know So Far
Cardinal Robert Prevost, a Chicago native, was chosen as successor to Pope Francis. Prevost, who becomes the first American to lead the Roman Catholic Church, has chosen the name Leo XIV. (Source: Lead Stories' screenshot of Vatican TV)
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: President Trump Did Post An AI Image Of Himself Dressed As Pope
Did American President Donald Trump post a picture of himself in which he appeared to be dressed as Pope while holding up his right index finger? Yes, that's true: He posted the image to his Instagram account. According to at least one AI
Full Fact→ Video of several large Palestinian flags is not from Pope’s funeral
The footage dates back to December 2023.
PolitiFact→ How faithful is ‘Conclave’ about the process of picking a new pope? We fact-checked the movie
How faithful is ‘Conclave’ to real papal elections?
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Lindsey Graham DID Post On X About Trump Being Open To The Possibility Of Becoming Pope — Included ‘Trump MMXXVIII’ Slogan
Did Senator Lindey Graham post on X about President Trump being open to the possibility of becoming Pope? Yes, that's true: Even though there was doubt screenshots showing such a post were real, Graham did post it. The message included th
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Video Shows Pope Francis With ‘Three Hands’
Did a widely-viewed video authentically show Pope Francis in a wheelchair with three hands? No, that's not true: that clip was fake and a digital fabrication. It recreated a real moment, shown in authentic video, in which Francis emerged
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Videos About ‘Pope Francis’ Dog’ Are NOT Authentic News Reports
Did Pope Francis' dog "refuse to leave his grave"? No, that's not true: None of the variations of the internet rumor support that by links to credible news reports or authentic footage or photographs from the papal funeral, which was cove
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Photo Shows Many Pope Francis Mourners, Not Just Trump, Dressed in Blue
Did an authentic photograph show several mourners wearing blue attire at the funeral of Pope Francis? No, that's not true: An image shared widely on social media had been digitally edited to change the color and tone of the clothes worn b
The Dispatch→ How to Remember Pope Francis
Proper remembrance takes time and will help us think about the future.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Of JD Vance Talking About ‘Parodies’ AND ‘Accusations’ In Aftermath Of His Last Meeting With Pope Francis Is NOT Authentic
Does a viral video authentically portray U.S. Vice President JD Vance talking about "parodies" and "accusations" after visiting the Vatican hours before the death of Pope Francis? No, that's not true: The original sound was digitally repl
Lead Stories→ A Pope’s Death Fosters Conspiracy Theories… Again
My first memory of the passing of a pope is a traumatic one: someone murdered him. Or at least, that's what everyone around me seemed to believe. I was just 13, but I had a sense that something was amiss: Albino Luciani had been Pope Jo
Full Fact→ Video of Pope’s ‘final public address’ is actually from 2023
Misleading claims that a clip of Pope Francis speaking about the conflict in Gaza is from his final speech before his death on 21 April have been circulating on social media.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: President Trump Did NOT Post "JD KILL POPE" Acrostic To His Truth Social Account — @TrumpDailyPosts X.com Screenshot Is Phony
Did President Donald Trump hide an acrostic message - spelling out "JD KILL POPE" - in an April 18, 2025 post to his Truth Social account three days before the death of Pope Francis? No, that's not true: The paragraph, marked in red to sh
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Africans Were Denied Entry Into St. Peter’s Basilica To View Pope’s Body
Does a video of a Black man being escorted from St. Peter's Basilica show that Africans were banned from viewing the body of Pope Francis? No, that's not true: The man seen in the video was ejected after he jumped the long line of people
PolitiFact→ Pope Francis defended truth as misinformation trailed him
How misinformation trailed Pope Francis
Full Fact→ No, Pope Francis was not filmed swatting away Donald Trump’s hand
A video circulating online originated as part of a comedy skit on “Jimmy Kimmel Live”.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Feature JD Vance’s Sister Asking Internet To Stop Saying He Killed Pope Francis — Comedian’s Series
Did JD Vance's sister take to social media to ask internet trolls to stop saying the Vice President killed Pope Francis? No, that's not true: The video is one of a series by comedian Blair Erskine in which she has played roles such as Def
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Guardian Article Screenshot Demanding ‘Next Pope Must Be Muslim’ Originated On Satire Account
Did the U.K. newspaper The Guardian publish an opinion column withe the headline "The next Pope must be Muslim or there will be violence on the streets of Europe" by Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, in April 2025? No, that's not true: A screenshot t
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Pope Francis’ Funeral
Does a viral clip of a procession consisting of people wearing black pointy hats show Pope Francis' funeral? No, that's not true: The claim first appeared on the internet four days before the scheduled burial of the pontiff. The footage c
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Marjorie Taylor Greene DID Post ‘Evil is Being Defeated’ After Death of Pope Francis
Did Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene post that "evil is being defeated", shortly after the death of Pope Francis was announced on April 21, 2025? Yes, that's true: Screenshots of the X post were shared widely online, especially among those cri
The Dispatch→ A Pope of Inclusion and Polarization
Francis widened divisions in the Catholic Church even as he strove to broaden its reach.
PolitiFact→ TikTok posts – No, ‘The Simpsons’ didn’t predict Pope Francis would die in 2025
“The Simpsons” predicted Pope Francis’ 2025 death.
The Dispatch→ The Legacy of Pope Francis
A 'Maverick' Pope?
Lead Stories→ Pope Francis Has Died At Age 88 After A Stroke, Coma And ‘Irreversible Cardiovascular Collapse’ — What Happens Next
By Raffaella Menichini, Lead Stories Deputy International Teams Manager (Rome) and Lead Stories staff A nine-day mourning period has begun with the death of Pope Francis, who died on Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88, according to
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Fabricated image of Pope Francis greeting a purported Church of Satan priest spreads online
Photo shows “Pope Francis, shaking the hand of the priest of the Church of Satan.”
Full Fact→ No evidence Pope Francis told people ‘eat whatever you want’ in Holy Week
We fact checked a similar claim last year about comments the Pope had supposedly made about Lent.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: AI Image Shows Dead Pope Francis Laid Out In Front Of Congregation — Death NOT Announced
Is an image of what looks like the corpse of a dead Pope Francis seemingly laid out on two pillows, showing various blurry priests in the background, genuine? No, that's not true: The photo was generated using AI, according to an online d