Catholic Church

Did a video posted to Facebook in September 2022 show the body of the late Queen Elizabeth II being placed into a coffin? No, that's not true: The video in question was originally posted to social media more than three weeks prior to the queen's September 8, 2022, death. While the post does not make the claim outright, its timing…

Was a debt jubilee, the cancellation of a broad range of debts from the public record, "officially declared" after Queen Elizabeth II's death? No, that's not true: At the time of writing, no such announcement has been made. The man who posted the rumor online was promoting his online store selling precious metals. The claim appeared in a Facebook post…

Does a video on social media in August 2022 show an act of aggression against a French priest? No, that's not true: The clip shows a 2020 incident in Guyana. Some of this claim's variations had such hashtags as "diversity," "multiculturalism" and "openborders," implying that the attacker could be an immigrant. According to previous media reports, it is not the…

Is Bill Gates the "first man to bring computers into this world," and is he worth "trillions and trillions"? No, that's not true: A social media video post purporting to be sharing "the truth about Bill Gates" makes those claim but offers no proof for them or any of the many other claims the narrator makes about Gates or various…

Are the City of London, the Vatican and Washington, D.C., all sovereign states? No, that's not true: While the Vatican city-state is, the City of London and Washington, D.C., are not. The claim appeared in a Facebook post on May 20, 2020, that says "Everything what we know is a lie" The rest of the post is a compilation of…

Is former President Barack Obama a Muslim? No, that's not true: He has spoken frequently about being a Christian, not a Muslim. He gave speeches about his Christian faith before and during his eight-year presidency. The site that posted the image and claimed Obama's religion is Sunni Muslim usually shares memes, jokes and military-related posts. The claim appeared in a…

Have American megachurches failed to offer help to the Ukrainian people? No, that's not true: An informal survey by Lead Stories shows several of America's largest congregations and denominations are actively soliciting and distributing relief to the people impacted by the war in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his "special military action" in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The…

Is humanity being held hostage by a new world order pushing COVID-19 vaccines? No, that's not true: The video in this Facebook post recycles previously debunked claims about COVID and plays into the rhetoric of an elaborate QAnon story of a cabal of blood-drinking elites working for global dominion. The claims appear in a post (archived here) on November 16,…

Have 229 Christian missionaries been sentenced to death "tomorrow afternoon" by "Afghan Islamists"? No, that's not true: Variations of this specific prayer request have been circulating since at least 2009 with some changes and various details added. The Taliban rapidly took over Afghanistan in the summer of 2021 and many people in that country faced dangerous situations, but there is…

Does a 10-second video clip show President Joe Biden "again" inappropriately kissing a young boy? No, that's not true: The clip, from 2015, shows Joe Biden comforting his grandson, Robert Hunter Biden, at the funeral of the child's father, Beau Biden. Joe Biden strokes his grandson's hair, and kisses him on the cheek and puts his hand on the boy's…