“Cardinal Oswald Gracias is alive,” the Archdiocese of Bombay announced in this unusual press release. On Thursday, the Indian archdiocese informed the public that reports of its archbishop’s death were fictitious. “We can confirm that His Eminence is very much alive and well and faithfully discharging his duties as Shepherd of his flock in the Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Fake news’
Türkiye denies Hagia Sophia was ‘sold’ to Vatican
Thursday, October 5th, 2023Turkish Presidency’s Communications Directorate has debunked a series of fake news and disinformation spreading on social media, including about the “sale” of Istanbul’s cultural and religious landmark Hagia Sophia to the Vatican. In a weekly bulletin against disinformation, the Directorate refuted the claims about a $38 billion deal with the Vatican for Hagia Sophia, stressing Read more
Fake news – physician, heal thyself
Monday, August 21st, 2023A headline at the National Catholic Register was funny, in a sad kind of way. “EWTN CEO Michael Warsaw: Catholic Journalists Are Called to Be ‘Truth Tellers,’ ” it read. Funny because Warsaw is CEO of the Register, and their understanding of “truth” is far more relativistic than most Catholic journalistic enterprises Warsaw’s network suffers Read more
Ethics of creating A.I. images in spotlight
Monday, April 3rd, 2023
Last weekend, millions of Twitter users saw Pope Francis appear on their feeds, modelling what seemed to be a custom Papal puffer coat. In reality, though, the head of the Catholic Church never wore that designer, Balenciaga-like jacket: The image was nothing more than a hyper-realistic A.I. generation. Behind this work of forgery was Pablo Read more
Photograph of Pope Francis in white puffer jacket goes viral
Thursday, March 30th, 2023Recently a photo of Pope Francis looking dapper in a white puffer jacket went mega-viral on social media. But there was just one problem: The image was not real. It was made using an AI art tool. The image’s creator has shared the story of how he generated the photograph that fooled the world. Read Read more
Pope’s resignation ‘a cheap soap opera’
Monday, June 13th, 2022
A papal advisor has dismissed media rumours of the pope’s likely resignation as nothing more than “a cheap soap opera”. According to Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, who advises the pope within the Council of Cardinals, news reports suggesting Pope Francis’ physical decline will soon lead to a new conclave are “fake news”. The rumours Read more
Mislabeled photo shows Pope Benedict, not Pope Francis
Monday, March 22nd, 2021Some users on social media are claiming a photograph shows Pope Francis wearing designer clothing. The image is incorrectly captioned: the photograph from 2007 shows his predecessor , Pope Benedict, in a white and golden outfit wearing red loafers.
Dad ‘Literally Saved Christianity’ – Eric Trump
Thursday, October 8th, 2020Eric Trump has added a new fake achievement to his dad’s collection. He claimed during a radio interview in North Dakota last week that his father, President Donald Trump, “literally saved Christianity.” Read more
New Zealand Bishops the victims of fake news
Monday, August 17th, 2020
New Zealand Catholic bishops have condemned a fake news statement circulated online claiming they had endorsed the New Conservative Party. They say they are seriously concerned about claims they are urging Catholics to vote for the party. The bishops have reported the false statement to the Electoral Commission and told all parishes and the New Read more
Church in Brazil fights fake news during pandemic
Thursday, June 4th, 2020
The Catholic Church in Brazil is currently fighting both fake news and the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. During the pandemic lockdown, fake news on the internet seems to have intensified in Brazil. Much of it is directed against the Church, often by people who claim to be Catholic. One event that triggered a new wave of Read more