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 waiting to enter, bypassed Vatican security, and began shouting. Lead Stories reporters at St. Peter's Square witnessed people of many nationalities lining up and being allowed to enter the Basilica, with none refused because of race. Africans have a major voice in choosing the next pope with 18 of the 135 cardinals voting.
The claim appeared in a post (archived here) shared on X on April 23, 2025, that included the 38 second video and a caption that read "Africans are denied access to go bid the Pope farewell💔💔💔." A second post in the thread read:
THIS IS SAD 💔!!!
This man who waited very patiently for his turn to go and saygoodbye to the Pope's remains was turned away and told that the worship services were suspended during this time. He said that white people had come in, so he said, is it because I am black, I just wanted to say goodbye to him. So the question is yours: even before God, you want to discriminate against us...
This is what it looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Source: X screenshot by Lead Stories)
The video shows a Black man in a blue shirt standing in the area where people who have already viewed Pope Francis are exiting. It is unclear what language he was speaking, but it was visually obvious he was unhappy. LA7, a private Italian news channel, reported the man was shouting "Voglio vedere il Papa," which is "I want to see the pope" in English.
Africans are denied access to go bid the Pope farewell💔💔💔 pic.twitter.com/bndYLKeT0M
-- VDM (@thatverydarkma1) April 23, 2025
The Italian TV network LA7 also reported (archived here) the man "managed to get in past security checks" inside the Basilica and then shouted: "I want to see the Pope," which led to Vatican security ejecting him.
Lead Stories, the first fact-checking organization accredited with media credentials by the Vatican's press office, has two journalists who have been at St. Peter's Square to cover public events. Both reported seeing people of many nationalities in the line entering and exiting.
Vatican TV has provided a live video feed from inside the Basilica. These screenshots are evidence that Black people have been allowed to pass through.
(Source: Vatican TV screenshot by Lead Stories)
Eighteen African cardinals will be inside the Conclave in May for the election of the next pope.
