Posts sharing a video that includes various QAnon conspiracy theories claim that Pope Francis has died. This is not true. At the time of publishing this article, the Pope had made recent appearances and was active on social media.
Examples can be seen here and here .
The text on the posts read: “Q 100% TRUTH! LIN WOOD DESTROYS DEEP STATE CABAL! PANIC IN DC POPE FRANCIS DEAD! VATICAN GOLD GONE!”
The 50-minute video being shared online has a number QAnon related claims, one of which is that Pope Francis is dead. The video does not give further details on the cause and date of death.
For more than three years, adherents of the QAnon conspiracy have been scouring anonymous web postings from a figure named “Q” (claiming to be a government insider with top secret security clearance). They have also been parsing statements by former U.S. President Donald Trump, whom they believe to be secretly fighting a cabal of child-sex predators that allegedly includes prominent Democrats, Hollywood elites and “deep state” allies (here ).
The pope, leader of the Roman Catholic Church, led a prayer on April 25, 2021 and made a public statement in St. Peter’s Square in Rome. He said that "now is the time for shame" after 130 migrants were feared dead in the Mediterranean and a U.N. organization accused states of not responding to distress calls (here ).
Reuters photographs of the Pope on April 25 can be seen here , here and here .
He has been active on his Twitter page here , tweeting every day and sometimes multiple times per day.
One tweet published on April 27, 2021 reads: “In daily life, we can find the Risen One in the faces of our brothers and sisters above all in the poor and those on the fringes. We will be amazed how the greatness of God is revealed in littleness, how his beauty shines forth in the poor and simple.”
Reuters has previously debunked conspiracy claims that Pope Francis had been arrested here and here .
VERDICT
False. Claims that Pope Francis has died come from QAnon conspiracy theories.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here .
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.