Viral posts on X and other social media channels are alleging that the Vatican prevented African citizens from approaching Pope Francis’ body to pay their respects as his body lay in state.
The posts share a video of a black man in St Peter’s Basilica arguing with someone else offscreen, before he is escorted away by security, while other visitors to the Vatican look on.
The video is accompanied by captions accusing the Holy See of blocking Africans from bidding farewell to Pope Francis, with some claiming that it amounts to racism.
However, this isn’t true — St Peter’s Basilica was open to all, with tens of thousands queuing to see his open coffin, including Africans.
People were able to see the late pontiff lying in state between 23 and 25 April, following his death on 21 April, Easter Monday. His funeral took place last Saturday, when he was buried at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore or Saint Mary Major in Rome.
A reverse image search of a still from the video shows that it was put online as late as 22 April, a day before the lying in state began and the day after Pope Francis’ death.
This is despite even certain news outlets claiming that the events shown in the video occurred while the pope’s body was on display to the public.
The reverse image search also takes us to local Italian news reports, which were also published on 22 April.
These say that the man appeared to bypass security checks and the large queue of the faithful who had been lining up to bid a farewell to the Bishop of Rome before the lying in state began.
Community notes on certain X posts also say that the man is known to people living in the area, and that he often causes a disturbance but is ultimately harmless.
There are no credible sources suggesting that anyone was denied access to see his body on the grounds of their country or origin or the colour of their skin, including a lack of any such announcement from the Vatican itself.
During his life and even in death, Pope Francis has been routinely targeted by false claims and misinformation.
Often a target of AI-generated deepfakes, the late pontiff regularly issued warnings about the misuse of artificial intelligence. In one of his final prayers in April, he focused on technology and urged its use for good and the benefit of humanity.
