Pope Francis' religious rite forbid attendance by Africans
Been Kept in the Dark? The Real Deal About African Mourners and Pope Francis
- Social Media Buzz Vatican Rumors Pope Francis
Online, a controversy brewed as a video showing a man being escorted away from Pope Francis' body spread like wildfire across multiple platforms. The clip, set in St. Peter's Basilica, had captioned accusations against the Holy See for allegedly barring Africans from bidding farewell to the late pontiff during the lying in state. However, fear not, for this claim is far from the truth.
As it turned out, St. Peter's Basilica welcomed all mourners with open arms, regardless of their origin. The queue to see Pope Francis lying in state was teeming with thousands, including Africans, between 23 and 25 April, following his demise on 21 April, Easter Monday. His funeral concluded on the next Saturday, with him being entombed at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore or Saint Mary Major in Rome.
A further investigation, executed by a reverse image search of the video's still, proved that the clip surfaced as late as 22 April – a day prior to the lying in state and the day following the pope's passing. Ironically, some news outlets persisted in reporting that the events illustrated in the video transpired while Pope Francis' body was on display to the public.
An exhaustive probe into this matter yielded no credible sources suggesting that anyone was denied access to see the pope's body based on their country, ethnicity, or skin color, neither did the Vatican itself issue such an announcement.
Throughout his life and in his final moments, Pope Francis faced a barrage of false claims and misinformation. He was often the victim of AI-generated deepfakes, urging cautions about the misuse of artificial intelligence in one of his final prayers in April. His plea for technology's ethical utilization for the good of mankind stands strong even beyond his earthly presence.
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- Pope Francis
- Vatican
- Misinformation
[1] BBC News – Pope Francis' body lies in state in Rome
[2] CNN – Pope Francis' body lies in state in Vatican City
[3] Associated Press – Pope Francis' body lies in state in St. Peter's Basilica
- Vatican officials denounced a viral video that linked Pope Francis' mourners to racial discrimination, disclosing it was an old clip unrelated to the pope's lying in state period.
- The general news landscape has been tainted by unfounded politically charged rumors about the Vatican's supposed misuse of power in association with the mourning process for Pope Francis.
- As misinformation swirled on LinkedIn and other social media channels, fact-checkers and journalists were hard at work debunking the false narratives surrounding the passing of Pope Francis.
