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By Nuria Diaz Muñoz -
Politifact
A photo on Instagram falsely claimed a couple of days ago that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI had passed away.
On July 11, a user on Instagram posted an image of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and text above the photo that reads, “Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has died.
Joseph Ratzinger, was 95 years old and in retirement.
"Through social networks, it became known on the night of this Monday, July 11, that the Pope Emeritus of the Catholic Church, Benedict XVI, would have died," says the publication.
"Until the time of this publication, the causes of death of whoever was the Supreme Pontiff between 2005 and 2013 were unknown."
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The post was flagged as part of Facebook's effort to combat fake news and misinformation on its platform.
The allegation about the death of the pope emeritus is false
.
According to the Catholic Information Agency, the rumor apparently originated on Twitter when an account with the username @BischofBatzing, Georg Bätzing, posing as the president of the German Bishops' Conference, posted "Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI dies."
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That same account later published another tweet saying: "How much false created by the Italian journalist Tommasso Debenedetti."
Debenedetti is known for creating and sharing fake news on social media
, according to Verificado, a Mexican media outlet that specializes in fact-checking.
The Washington Post in 2017 reported on his tactics to spread false information on social media.
The article says that Debenedetti creates fake accounts where he announces the deaths of public figures and then announces his involvement in the plot.
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After a search on Twitter, PolitiFact did not find the @BischofBatzing account.
We also did not find an official account of Bätzing.
The Latin American Episcopal Council published a tweet on its official account declaring the news false.
“The Vatican has not made an official statement on the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI,” the group said in its July 11 tweet.
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The Vatican has not said that Pope Benedict XVI has died.
Legitimate news sources have also not reported his death.
Our rating
A photo posted on Instagram alleges that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has died.
That is not true.
The Vatican has not acknowledged the alleged death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and legitimate sources have not reported it either.
We rate the post as
False
.
