&Quot;Pope Francis&Quot;

Did a family of three -- who reportedly died within days of each other before testing positive for the novel coronavirus -- actually exist? No, that's not true: This fictional story featuring the made-up family was presented to audiences in at least nine different cities around the world as if it had happened in their town. The stories are all…

Did Elisa Granato, a volunteer in the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine trial, die just two days after receiving the experimental injection? No, that's not true: Granato woke up on April 25, read a fake news story about her own demise, and responded that she was alive and well. The claim originated in an article (archived here) published by n5ti.com on April…

Is Microsoft founder Bill Gates conspiring with the Vatican to try to depopulate the world with a new vaccine for the novel coronavirus? No, that's not true: The video misinterprets a soundbite from Gates' TED Talk to try to make a point about vaccines. It later launches into an anti-Catholic screed. The claim originated in a post published by Saving…

Did Tanzania and Zambia confirm their first cases of novel coronavirus? No, that's not true: These made-up stories were published by a website known to spread disinformation. According to the World Health Organization, neither African country had recorded any cases of the rapidly spreading global virus as of March 7, 2020. The claims that the first cases of coronavirus had…

Did Delores Aveiro, the mother of footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, experience a fatal second stroke days after being admitted to the hospital after she experienced an initial stroke? No, that's not true. This story originates from a website with a history of publishing fake news. Delores Aviero did suffer a stroke on Tuesday, March 3, 2020, and she is recovering in…

Did a report state that the novel coronavirus had killed 200 in Iran? No, that's not true: The number of deaths in official reports on March 3, 2020, were much lower than stated in this article. The claim that inflated the numbers - purporting to show the most recent news about the COVID-19 outbreak in Iran - originated from an…

Did the Vatican confirm Pope Francis and two of his aides tested postitive for coronavirus? No, that's not true: there has been no official Vatican communication that says this, and the site where the story appeared was registered anonymously just a few days ago. At the time of writing, the site appears to be down but links to the story…

Did several guests at the recent State of the Union wear American flag pins with the "Q" logo on them? No, that's not true: While supporters of the so-called QAnon conspiracy theory claimed that several guests were wearing "Q" flag pins, we enhanced the images in question. The pins actually featured what appears to be a presidential seal, not the…

Did Pope Francis declare Lucifer as God? No, that's not true: The video being shared to make the claim relied on a poor translation of Latin and has been taken entirely out of context. "Lucifer" in Latin means "morning star," "Venus," or "light-bringing." While it's become synonymous today with Satan, the term was used in Christian tradition as a name…

Did Pope Francis bow down to the "Order of the Illuminati" and kiss their hands and feet? No, that's not true: The Pope kissed the feet of once-warring Sudanese leaders in the hopes of urging them not to return to a civil war. The video being shared contained false captions and ascribed the actions to a "secret world government" conspiracy…