Latest news with #StMalachy
RTÉ News
29-04-2025
- Health
- RTÉ News
Simpsons to Saints: How misinformation swirled about Pope's death
Over the past week a torrent of false narratives, misleading videos and ancient prophecies related to Pope Francis and the Vatican has erupted across social media. Within hours of Pope Francis being brought to St Peter's Basilica in The Vatican last week to lie in state, social media users were posting videos suggesting that discolouration around his face suggested "third-party abuse" or foul play. His cause of death was a stroke followed by a coma and cardiocirculatory collapse. Medical experts quoted in Italian media said the bruise-like marks on the Pope's face were compatible with this type of stroke, especially in patients in very critical conditions. The claim that Pope Francis had been abused or killed proved to be just one of a whirlwind of conspiracies that swirled around his final days. Others involved recirculating of a 'doomsday prophecy' associated with a twelfth century Irish saint, St Malachy Archbishop of Armagh, which was first promoted in the late 1500s and is itself widely considered to hoax. Elsewhere, in a modern twist, social media users also falsely claimed the Simpsons had correctly predicted the exact date of the Pope's death. "For people who willfully engage in creating false and misleading content online, there's enormous opportunities for engagement, or for promoting their own agenda, or for financial incentives as well," Ciaran O'Connor of the Institue for Strategic Dialogue told Prime Time. Mr O'Connor monitors online misinformation and disinformation. "I do think that there is a significant element of engagement farming or engagement chasing going on, particularly on platforms like X," he said. "The very nature of those platforms revolves around creating viral content and trying to get attention on that, and maybe some financial motives that kick in down the line." The claims made relating to predictions in The Simpsons were quickly sourced back to videos posted on social media on the day Pope Francis died. While captions claimed the videos were from a little-known episode of the series, they instead appear to have been AI-generated. The Irish saint's 'prophecy' which has also been circulated online is linked to a document known as the Prophecy of the Popes, which is said to have been discovered in the Vatican Archives in 1590 but written hundreds of years prior. It 'predicted' there would be 112 further popes before Doomsday, something online posters have leapt upon, claiming Pope Francis was the 112th. They made similar claims when Francis was selected as Pope in 2013. However, reputable Catholic scholars and Vatican historians have said for hundreds of years that the so-called prophecy is a hoax and forgery. Beyond that there have also been multiple examples of videos taken out of context. For example, a video claiming to show mourners self-flagellating in The Vatican to mourn the death of Pope Francis in fact was footage from a Catholic Easter procession in Spain. This wave of misinformation is not exactly surprising. The Pope found himself at the centre of similar campaigns not infrequently. In 2016, a viral post on Meta claiming that he had endorsed President Trump and ordered Catholics not to vote for Hillary Clinton was linked to a content farm in Macedonia spreading fake pro-Trump news stories for profit. Other unproven claims linked him to the military junta that ruled over Argentina in the 1970s and 1980s, some said he was culpable for torture of two Jesuit colleagues who were abducted by security forces. "You can't also get away from the fact that the Pope himself was someone who was seen as quite outspoken on a number of prominent political geopolitical issues," Mr O'Connor said. Those issues "attract all types of figures who have their own motivations in creating false or misleading content and maybe piggybacking off the death of Pope Francis to kind of further their own narratives, their own campaigns as well," he added. When Pope Francis went into hospital on 14 February false rumors of his death ran rampant, with social media influencers and sleuths turning up to the Gemelli Hospital in Rome to try and figure if he was there. Some falsely claimed that the Pope had already died and the Vatican was covering it up. Despite multiple updates on the Pope's health, and a voice note from the Pope, online conspiracy theorists insisted that deepfake audio recordings were being used to 'hide the truth.' Major deaths and world events often trigger such surges of misinformation, according to Mr O'Connor, who noted the additional layer of intrigue and mysticism added this time by the role, history, and secrecy of the Church. For Mr O'Connor, it is fertile ground for conspiracy to thrive. "As an institution, the Catholic Church is steeped in all types of rituals, all manner of secrecy. Of course, there's numerous kinds of scandals or cover ups," Mr O'Connor said. "All of these traits can be used to paint the Catholic Church as the kind of secret, or esoteric, organisation that is so often found at the core of conspiracy theories. The Church itself is often seen as a kind of gateway to power or control, and that kind of balance between good and evil." Pope Francis himself addressed the dangers of disinformation in a 2018 message. He said it "discredits others, presenting them as enemies, to the point of demonising them and fomenting conflict.
Irish Examiner
22-04-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
Pope's death brings Irish saint's 900-year-old prophecy under the spotlight
The death of Pope Francis has brought into focus an Irish saint's 900-year-old prophecy claiming to herald judgement day and the end of the world. St Malachy is believed to have dreamt a vision of the papal line of succession up to the present day. At this time, the prophecy predicts when 'Peter the Roman' is pope, then Rome will be destroyed. The people will face a dreadful judgement, according to the lore. It may sound like a chapter from Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code except for one curious detail. This week, among the favourites to be pope next are Cardinal Peter Erdo, Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson. It all started with a document titled the Prophecy of the Popes, which was only unearthed in the Vatican Archives in 1590. This details a vision credited to St Malachy and was recorded in a series of 112 cryptic or metaphoric verses. Each verse is understood to refer to different popes starting with Pope Celestine II. One verse – linked to Pope Sixtus V – describes this pope as 'axle in the midst of a sign'. This has been interpreted to mean he is in the middle of the papal line. He was pope some 442 years after Celestine II. It is claimed this means the papal line will end 442 years after Sixtus V which brings the prophecy to the present time. The verses conclude rather ominously: In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church there will reign Peter the Roman, who will feed his flock amid many tribulations, after which the seven-hilled city will be destroyed, and the dreadful Judge will judge the people. The End. Rome is widely known as the city of seven hills. There are certainly 'many tribulations' facing the Catholic Church in the modern day. The reference to 'Peter the Roman' is not so clear. Some say it means the 112th and last Pope will be called Peter while others say it refers to Francis himself. That is likely because many believe Pope Benedict was the 111th pope described in the vision. The reference is 'the glory of the olive' and the Order of St Benedict is also known as the Olivetans. The prediction linked to Pope John Paul II refers to 'from the toil of the sun' with supporters highlighting his birth during a solar eclipse as a link. However, there are sceptics. In 2013, Joseph McHugh, writing in the magazine US Catholic, said: 'The prophecies were quite accurate up to about 1590 (conveniently the point at which they were found), but then became rather vague, lending credence to the theory that they are a 16th-century forgery.' Others question why St Malachy's biographer Bernard of Clairvaux - who knew him - does not mention the visions. Pope John Paul II was born during a solar eclipse which may have been referenced by St Malachy's prediction. File photo: AFP/Vincenzo Pinto via Getty Images) Whatever people's thoughts on the prophecy, St Malachy was very much a real-life figure (1094-1148). He was a bishop and archbishop who later became the papal legate to Ireland. The Archdiocese of Armagh describes him as a strong reformer on its website, saying he faced 'great opposition from the traditionalists' during his career. He travelled from Ireland to Rome in late 1139 or early 1140 and it said 'Pope Innocent II received him graciously in Rome'. Those who credit him with this vision say it happened on the road to Rome. The document is also known as Prophetia Sancti Malachiae Archiepiscopi, de Summis Pontificibus or " Prophecy of Saint-Archbishop Malachy, concerning the Supreme Pontiffs". He was papal legate for six years. He is described as 'holding synods, making new church laws and generally renewing the life of the Church in Ireland". Read More Who will be the next pope? Some potential candidates who might succeed Francis
The Herald Scotland
22-04-2025
- General
- The Herald Scotland
What is the Prophecy of the Popes? The prediction that splits opinion
It is a prophecy that has attracted attention through the years and none moreso than in the aftermath of Pope Francis' death earlier this week. His holiness died on Easter Monday but there is an eerie prophecy made by St Malachy. In his column today, Kevin McKenna writes about the prophecy and how Pope Francis is the 226th of St Peter's successors and the final one – according to the saint but it is mentioned that the papal predictions began to get wobbly around the 16th century. In a series of 112 cryptic Latin phrases, St Malachy predicted the Roman Catholic popes, but in doing so he predicted there would only be one more pope after Benedict – who stepped down in 2013 to be replaced by Francis. He also predicted that reign could result in the end of the world, meaning Pope Francis would be the last ever person to hold that role. Read More There is also another part which people look to link together to 'confirm' the prophecy despite St Malachy saying the final reign would be Pope Peter. Pope Francis chose his name in honour of St Francis of Assisi, who's father was named Pietro, or Peter in English. Saint Malachy's final prediction in full stated: "In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church there will reign Peter the Roman, who will feed his flock amid many tribulations, after which the seven-hilled city will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge will judge the people. The End.' St Malachy had provided his beliefs to Pope Innocent II, but they remained completely unknown until they were discovered in the Roman Archives in 1590. Some of the predictions have been proven correct in the years since, including that of Pope John Paul II. It is entitled De labore Solis, meaning 'of the eclipse of the sun', and Pope John Paull II was born on May 18, 1920 – during a solar eclipse. Pope Benedict was the 111th pope, and the prophecy about him states 'Gloria Olivae', meaning 'the glory of the Olive', while the Order of St Benedict is known as the Olivetans and many Catholics who believe in the prophecy say that proves another of Malachy's predictions correct. While many people still believe in the prophecy, there are also a lot of theologians who believe it to be 'nonsense', as Thomas J. Reese of Georgetown University put it. Another scholar, Thomas Groome of Boston College, stated: "For myself – and even as a native Irishman – the 'Prophecies of St. Malachy' are a grand old fun tale that have about as much reliability as the morning horoscope". The prophecy has split opinion from the minute it was made public, and there are many who feel it was never a serious prediction. For those who do believe, they might be hoping they have got this one wrong.
