Hoax – Pope Leo XIV allegedly called for prayers against wars in Ukraine and the Middle East following a divine revelation.
Analysis
A fear-mongering message is once again spreading on social media, especially in religious groups, involving the name of the new pope of the Catholic Church. According to the message, the newly appointed Pope Leo XIV made a dramatic appeal to the faithful to pray against the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
The text claims he received a divine revelation and urges people to pray the Rosary, warning of an alleged escalation of the global conflict. The message calls for urgent prayers, suggests the pope asked churches to remain open at all times, and warns that the wars would intensify and spread. Read the circulating message:
“Pope Leo XIV is WARNING! Please let us pray! Pope Leo XIV must have had a revelation from the Almighty! The Pope asks priests to open their churches and invite people to pray the Holy Rosary and pray intensely before the Tabernacle. He asks us to go to our parishes or nearest Church. He warned the world saying:
“”The wars in the Middle East and now also in Ukraine and Crimea will become very serious and will spread””. To stop them, we must pray to GOD to pour His Mercy upon the world and that the Holy Spirit enlightens the rulers to be aware of good and evil and fight united for peace and love. He also asks priests for the Eucharist to be simple and full of love.”
Pray, pray, pray. “”Let us all unite in prayer every day. Wherever you are in the world, at your preferred time, stop everything and pray the Our Father and Hail Mary three times.”
Fact-check
The story has circulated online, but it’s nothing more than a recycled hoax. The content above leads to three main questions: 1) Did Pope Leo XIV call for Rosary prayer because of the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East? 2) Have there been fake chains related to the wars and the pope before? 3) Are there other hoaxes involving statements allegedly made by Pope Leo XIV?
Did Pope Leo XIV call for Rosary prayer because of the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East?
No. There is no official record from the Vatican or the official Vatican press indicating that Pope Leo XIV made such an alarmist statement.
Have there been fake chains related to the wars and the pope before?
Yes. The circulating message is actually a rehash of an old rumor previously attributed to Pope Francis. Boatos.org debunked an almost identical version in 2022. It is, therefore, an opportunistic adaptation of the same chain, now using the name of the new pope.
The pattern repeats with Pope Leo XIV’s name. The strategy is always the same: recycle alarming content and invoke religious figures of high authority to gain credibility.
Are there other hoaxes involving statements allegedly made by Pope Leo XIV?
Yes. Since being elected, Pope Leo XIV has been the target of various misinformation pieces. Fake messages have claimed he sent messages to members of the Christian Congregation of Brazil, said he was “angry with God”, or that “the Creator whispers through pain”, and even criticized reborn dolls in a Vatican speech. None of these claims are true; all follow the same pattern of emotionally charged fabricated messages.
Conclusion
The claim that Pope Leo XIV is calling for mass prayers and making dramatic warnings about wars in Ukraine and the Middle East is false. It’s a recycled chain that previously circulated under Pope Francis’ name. So far, there is no official Vatican communication with such alarmist content. This is a classic religious fake news item with strong emotional appeal.
Fake news ❌
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