The Vatican

Does a real photo show Pope Leo XIV rocking Nikes with his clerical vestments? Yes, that's true: This is a real photo that appears in a trailer for a documentary about the time Pope Leo XIV spent in Rome before he was elected to be pope. The context for the photo offered in the trailer and the lack of traditional…

Did Donald Trump post on Truth Social that he has access to "the Vatican files", boasting he could "bring down the Papacy, the Vatican and the entire Catholic Church overnight"? No, that's not true: This is a fake post that never appeared on Truth Social. A search of Google News showed no reporting about this post being made or deleted.…

Did President Donald Trump urge his Catholic supporters to start a "MAGA Reformation" and form a new "American Catholicism"? No, that's not true: The account that started a rumor describes itself as satire. No news organizations reported the purported story, which would have been heavily covered. The claim originated from a post (archived here) on X published by @HalfwayPost on…

Did Pope Leo XIV say, "Iran can have a nuclear weapon," as President Donald Trump suggested on the White House lawn in April 2026? No, that's not true: The pope has repeatedly argued against war and denounced nuclear weapons. In March 2026, he posted on X, "Let us #PrayTogether that nations move toward effective disarmament, particularly nuclear disarmament, and that…

Did Pope Leo XIV misquote Jesus as saying, "Blessed are the peacemakers, but woe to those who manipulate religion"? No, that's not true: The pope wasn't reading a Scripture passage at the time; he was delivering a homily on peace while in Bamenda, Cameroon, on a tour of Africa. The sentence in question excerpted a famous line from the Gospel…

Did Pope Francis order the closure of the Vatican Secret Archives over a scandal revealed in the Epstein files in March 2026? No, that's not true: The post claimed Pope Francis ordered the sealing of the archives in March 2026, but he died in April 2025. There are no legitimate news reports of the Vatican sealing the archives as of…

Did Pope Leo XIV issue an important prayer for all Americans on July 25, 2025? No, that's not true: A video originating on TikTok features an AI generated likeness of Pope Leo XIV speaking. The voiceover includes a prayer which does not match recently published public messages from the Pope. The fabricated video first appeared on TikTok account named @prayerswithpopeleo…

Did a widely-shared video show a missile strike occurring during the June 2025 Iran-Israel conflict? No, that's not true: The footage predated that particular round of escalation. It had been online since 2024. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X on June 17, 2025. It consisted of a clip of missiles striking an urban environment at…

Did a viral video really show Pope Leo XIV publicly criticizing JD Vance for his reaction to former President Joe Biden's cancer announcement? No, that's not true: The clip used AI-generated sound to make it appear the Pope scolded Vance for attacking Biden with "cold, calculated words" and lacking "human compassion". No actual news websites reported that the Pope publicly…

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," which is Italian for "peace". Furthermore, it's not clear the Pope turned specifically away from…