CLAIM: Pope Leo XIV delivered a speech about those who no longer believe, no longer hope, no longer pray.
RATING: FALSE
A Facebook user posted a false quote from Pope Leo XIV.
The quote, posted on May 11, at 1:34 a.m. and shared in the St. Anthony of Padua Facebook group, falsely claimed that the newly elected pope delivered a speech addressing people who are losing faith.
Part of the fake quote read:
“Brothers, sisters…
I speak to you, especially to those who no longer believe, no longer hope, no longer pray, because they think God has left.
To those who are fed up with scandals, with misused power, with the silence of a Church that sometimes seems more like a palace than a home.
I, too, was angry with God.
I, too, saw good people die, children suffer, grandparents cry without medicine.
And yes… there were days when I prayed and only felt an echo…”
The group, which has more than half a million members, was quickly shared in Facebook and Instagram.
A search of the Vatican’s official website and its official news site did not show that the pope delivered this speech. The new pope’s official page in the Vatican website also did not contain this speech.
An online search of the pope’s speeches or addresses before he was elected pope also yielded negative results.
Pope Leo XIV was elected the leader of the 1.4 billion Roman Catholics on May 8, 2025. He has delivered only one homily and three addresses and speeches as of May 12, 2025
As of writing, the original post has been shared more than 3,000 times. Rommel F. Lopez
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