Vatican News published an official warning on May 21st urging Catholics to verify any online material attributed to Pope Leo XIV.
The notice followed the release of a 30+ minute long YouTube video that digitally altered lip movements so that pre-recorded footage from Pope Leo XIV’s audience with journalists on May 12th matched an AI-generated voiceover track.
The ‘deepfake’ video falsely presents Pope Leo XIV praising Burkina Faso’s military leader, Ibrahim Traoré, under the title “Pope Leo XIV responds to Captain Ibrahim Traoré – A Message of Truth, Justice & Reconciliation.”
The clip opens with the invented greeting, “To His Excellency President Ibrahim Traoré … may grace and peace multiply for you through wisdom, courage and truth,” according to Vatican News.
The Traoré video is only the latest fabrication.
AI-generated “sermons” on a YouTube channel with nearly a million views, and viral memes containing bogus quotations also appeared within days of his election after the conclave.
The Vatican News statement asks users to rely on official platforms to curb the rapid spread of AI-driven disinformation. They noted that authentic papal texts are posted exclusively on vatican.va and vaticannews.va.
Pray for Pope Leo XIV and his intentions! 🙏
Editorial credit: Alessia Pierdomenico / Shutterstock.com
