Disinformation and conspiracy theories circulate as papal conclave begins
Cardinals gather Wednesday in Rome’s Sistine Chapel to elect the successor of Pope Francis. Euroverify debunks false theories about the secretive conclave.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/05/07/disinformation-and-conspiracy-theories-circulate-as-papal-conclave-begins
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Cardinals gather Wednesday in Rome’s Sistine Chapel to elect the successor of Pope Francis. Euroverify debunks false theories about the secretive conclave.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/05/07/disinformation-and-conspiracy-theories-circulate-as-papal-conclave-begins
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
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NewsTranscript
00:00Fact-checking false claims about the conclave.
00:08The Catholic Church's cardinals are meeting in a secret conclave in Rome to elect the next pope,
00:13and the occasion has sparked a deluge of fake news online.
00:17This doctored screenshot mimicking a Guardian op-ed titled
00:21The Next Pope Must Be Muslim or There Will Be Violence on the Streets of Europe
00:26has been falsely attributed to journalist Yasmin Alibai-Brown.
00:31Both the Guardian and the journalist have confirmed they never published such an article.
00:35The screenshot was first published by an ex-account that consistently attributes false headlines to the Guardian.
00:42A closer look shows that the logo says the Groniad, a well-known colloquial name for the British newspaper.
00:49This information claiming the pope has already been elected is also running rife,
00:53such as this video which claims the Philippines' Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle has been chosen,
00:58or this manipulated photo suggesting Cardinal Robert Serra of Guinea has been elected.
01:05Both these cardinals are among the potential candidates.
01:08Tagle is considered a front-runner and shares Pope Francis' devotion to social issues,
01:13while Serra is well-liked by the most conservative wing of the Catholic Church.
01:18But the pope's seat is vacant until the conclave of all serving cardinals under the age of 80 has gathered,
01:25and until a pope is elected with a two-thirds majority.
01:29We also detected conspiracy theories circulating online claiming that the election of a black pope
01:35could bring about apocalyptic events.
01:37These unfounded theories are linked to Nostradamus' prophecies,
01:41which are often conflated to fuel conspiracy theories and disinformation.