The image, overlaid with Malayalam-language text bidding the pope farewell, surfaced on Facebook the same day the pontiff, 88, died from a stroke less than a month after returning home from five weeks in hospital battling double pneumonia (archived link). It appears to show Francis in a white garment holding a large crucifix.
The post, which also includes #PopeFrancis and #RIP, accumulated thousands of engagements. The pope's funeral, which is expected to draw huge crowds, will take place April 26 in the square in front of St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.
AI Image of Pope Francis in Open Casket Misleads Online
Francis's coffin -- which he previously ordered should be of wood and zinc -- will then be taken inside the church and from there to the Rome basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore for burial. He will become the first pope in more than 100 years to be laid to rest outside the Vatican. The image spread in several countries, including the Philippines, Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka. Several comments indicate users believe the image is genuine.
"His face looks so peaceful," one user wrote. Another commented: "It's almost as if he were just sleeping." The pope's body was photographed during an April 21 evening service in the chapel of Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican residence where he lived during his 12-year papacy.
However, Francis was wearing his red papal vestments, a mitre on his head and had a rosary between his fingers -- contrary to the visuals shared online. Media forensic experts also told AFP the circulating image bears signs of AI. Shu Hu, director of Purdue University's Machine Learning and Media Forensics Lab, analysed the image and found several visual inconsistencies (archived link).
"Their faces appear ambiguous and poorly defined. Pope Francis's fingers appear disproportionately long," he said. Hany Farid, co-founder of GetReal Labs, a cybersecurity company focused on combating malicious artificial intelligence threats, also detected signs it was made with generative AI (archived link).
"I believe the image was generated using Meta AI. You'll notice the Meta watermark hidden under the pink watermark," Farid told AFP. AFP previously fact-checked another false post targeting the pope when he was ill.
Francis' body was taken from the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta, his residence at the Vatican, to St Peter's Basilica on the morning of Wednesday, April 23. Watch live as Pope Francis’ coffin lies in state in St. Peter's Basilica for public viewings from Wednesday, 23 April. The solemn procession to the basilica marked the start of a three-day period for the faithful to pay their respects ahead of Saturday’s funeral mass, following the pontiff’s death aged 88 on Monday. The Pope’s funeral mass will be held at 10.00am on Saturday in St Peter’s Square, the Vatican has confirmed.
Numerous world leaders have announced they will attend Pope Francis's funeral on Saturday at the Vatican, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, US President Donald Trump and UN chief Antonio Guterres. Pope Francis’ funeral has been set for Saturday at 10am in St. Peter's Square, and a viewing of his body will begin on Wednesday in St. Peter's Basilica, days after the popular pontiff died of a stroke at age 88. He is currently lying in state in the Sa.
The funeral of Pope Francis will take place on Saturday morning, the Vatican has announced. Several world leaders have announced they will travel to Rome for Pope Francis's funeral on Saturday, which is likely to also draw a huge crowd in the square in front of St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. - Europe - -- EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa, head of the European Council, will both travel to Rome. Francis will be buried in Rome’s Esquilino neighbourhood, in break from tradition
SINGAPORE, Apr 23 — Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong warned yesterday that while many “tempting” proposals to ma... KUALA LUMPUR, April 23 — A newborn baby girl was found abandoned in a box outside a house in Kampung Brunei, Membakut, S... Here's why King Charles isn't allowed to attend the Pope's funeral and Prince William is going instead. BENTONG, April 23 — A brawl that took place inside a casino in Genting Highlands last week was reportedly triggered by d... The British man was ‘lynched and burned’ after being pulled from the police station, local reports said Millions of mourners are expected to pay their respects to the late pontiff this week. A Thai court convicted and sentenced on Tuesday two former prosecutors in connection with an alleged cover-up of a 2012 Ferrari crash involving an heir to the Red Bull energy drink fortune that killed a police officer. Former Deputy Attorney General Nate Naksuk and former prosecutor Chainarong Sangthongaram were sentenced to three and two years, respectively, for abuse of power to help an individual avoid prosecution, said the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases in Bangkok. Thousands of people began filing through St. Peter’s Basilica to pay their final respects to Pope Francis on Wednesday at the start of three days of public viewing ahead of his funeral. Throngs of the faithful made their way to the 16th century basilica's main altar where Francis' open wooden casket was perched, as Swiss Guards stood at attention. Over the coming days, tens of thousands of people are expected to pass through, and the Vatican said it may extend the viewer hours even longer due to high turnout. The man who allegedly stole a Gucci bag loaded with cash from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was sitting at the table next to hers, according to video of Sunday’s incident reviewed by Secret Service investigators. A man opened fire into the crowd after an Easter egg hunt at a Gainesville park in Florida, on April 20, with video shared by police showing the suspect fleeing the scene. Gainesville Police Department said that officers on scene immediately rendered aid to three victims until rescue services arrived and took them to hospital. One individual sustained life-threatening injuries, while the other two suffered non-life-threatening injuries, they said. Credit: Gainesville Police Department via Storyful KUALA LUMPUR, April 23 — A landslide struck an international school in Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) this morning, causing... Darius Morningstar Speedis, 20, was sentenced to 72 months in prison as part of a plea deal, according to court records. The body of Dr. Shawn Frehner was found near the Boulder Islands in Lake Mead near Las Vegas “Although Pope Francis had good intentions when denouncing clergy sexual abuse he was met with great resistance within the Catholic Church when attempting to effectuate any meaningful change," attorney Mitchell Garabedian says
