Fake News

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Father Juan Manuel Góngora of Almería, Spain, speaks with EWTN Spanish News July 12, 2022, about the need for better verification criteria for online news.

What to do when there's fake news such as the 'death' of Benedict XVI: A priest responds

Jul 14, 2022

By Walter Sánchez Silva

Father Juan Manuel Góngora of Almería, Spain, said the latest online hoax is “one more proof” of the need for... Read more

Pope Francis meets members of the Catholic Factchecking consortium at the Vatican’s Clementine Hall, Jan. 28, 2022

Pope Francis: Being ‘properly informed’ on COVID-19 vaccines is a ‘human right’

Jan 28, 2022

By Courtney Mares

‘Fake news has to be refuted, but individual persons must always be respected,’ he told a Catholic fact-checking group. Read more

Pope Francis greets staff at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome, July 11, 2021.

What’s behind a false rumor about Pope Francis resigning ‘in the next few hours’?

Jul 12, 2021

By Hannah Brockhaus

It caused a stir on social media. Here’s where it came from. Read more

A YouTube screenshot of St. Peter’s Square at night.

Why is the internet abuzz with false claims of a ‘Vatican blackout’?: A CNA Explainer

Jan 11, 2021

By CNA Staff

On Sunday, Jan. 10, the internet was abuzz with false reports of an overnight blackout at the Vatican, accompanied by... Read more

Pope Francis kisses a child at the general audience on Oct. 10, 2018.

Pope Francis: Every human has an irrepressible dignity

Jan 24, 2020

By Courtney Mares

Pope Francis emphasized the importance of each person’s dignity Friday in his message for World Communications Day.  Read more

Monsignor Dario Vigano.

Former Vatican communications chief gives talk on fake news

May 4, 2018

By Elise Harris

Six weeks after resigning as head of the Vatican communications office over a fake news controversy, Msgr. Dario Edoardo Vigano... Read more

Why Catholics should beware as high-tech 'deepfake' videos emerge

Apr 25, 2018

By Kevin J. Jones

Like any figure of importance, there is high likelihood that the Pope or another Catholic leader could be the subject... Read more

Michael Warsaw at a Communication Seminar in Rome, Italy, April 17-19, 2018.

Catholic communicators urge greater respect in public discourse

Apr 19, 2018

By Elise Harris

This week, Catholic communicators gathered in Rome to discuss the need for more respectful dialogue in the public sphere, saying... Read more

Stack of newspapers.

Conference addresses Catholic journalism, fake news, and a 'post-truth' era

Feb 1, 2018

By Elise Harris

Last week, hundreds of Catholic media experts from all over the world gathered to discuss the problem of “fake news”... Read more

Pope Francis at the General Audience Oct. 11, 2017.

Confront the lies of 'fake news,' Francis says

Jan 24, 2018

By Hannah Brockhaus

In his message for the World Day of Social Communications, published Wednesday, Pope Francis said that in a world of... Read more

Pope Francis greets pilgrims in St. Peter's Square at the general audience on Oct. 19, 2016.

No, Pope Francis didn't say Christianity and Islam should merge

Jan 3, 2017

Widely shared quotes attributed to Pope Francis, in which he advocates for a merging of the religions of Christianity and... Read more