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No, Pope Francis wasn’t dead as of Feb. 23
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Pope Francis was alive as of Feb. 24, 2025, though he remained hospitalized in critical condition.
Pope Francis is battling pneumonia in both lungs and remains hospitalized in critical condition, but social media claims that he died as of Feb. 23 are unfounded.
"Fallece el Papa Francisco a los 88 años," a Feb. 23 Facebook post said. The English translation: "Pope Francis passes away at 88."
It included an image of what appears to the pope in a white cassock wearing an oxygen mask.
This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)
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The pope was hospitalized Feb. 14 at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, "and doctors have said his condition is touch-and-go, given his age, fragility and pre-existing lung disease," The Associated Press reported Feb. 24.
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The image of the pope, meanwhile, is not an authentic photo of him in the hospital.
It comes from a video generated by artificial intelligence and shared Feb. 21 on Instagram, Albanian fact-checking publication Faktoje.al reported.
We rate claims the pope was dead as of Feb. 23 False.
Our Sources
Facebook post, Feb. 23, 2025
Instagram post, Feb. 21, 2025
Faktoje.al, E gjeneruar foto e Pape Françeskut në shtratin e spitalit, Feb. 24, 2025
The Associated Press, Pope Francis shows slight improvement and resumes some work, while still critical, Vatican says, Feb. 24, 2025
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No, Pope Francis wasn’t dead as of Feb. 23
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