Video shows ex-pope Benedict lying in state, not Pope Francis

Published on April 28, 2025 at 06:22
3 min read
By AFP Indonesia

After Pope Francis's body arrived at Saint Peter's Basilica for his funeral in April 2025, an old video was shared in social media posts that falsely claimed it showed the late Catholic leader's funeral wake. The footage in fact shows the former pope Benedict XVI lying in state in January 2023.

"The ceremony to honour Pope Francis," reads the Indonesian-language caption of a TikTok video shared on April 24, 2025.

The video shows the remains of a man donned in papal vestments being carried and then blessed inside a church.

"Pope Francis has left us forever, but God’s messages and teachings will always inspire us to go forward!" reads the clip's overlaid text.

Screenshot of the false TikTok post, captured on April 25, 2025

The video emerged after Pope Francis died of a stroke, causing a coma and "irreversible" heart failure, according to his death certificate released by the Vatican on April 21 (archived link). The 88-year-old Catholic leader had spent five weeks in the hospital, where he nearly succumbed to double pneumonia.

The Argentine pontiff's plain wooden coffin -- a testament to a life of humility -- was transferred to Saint Peter's Basilica for three days of lying in state before his funeral on April 26 (archived here and here).

The same video was also shared alongside similar claims in Portuguese, Spanish and Bengali.

"Goodbye Pope Francis, may you have peace with the Father in heaven," read a comment on one of the posts.

Another said: "I really admire the example he set and his modesty.. Ciao Pope. RIP."

But the video in fact shows former pope Benedict XVI lying in state in January 2023.

The logo of EWTN, an American network that presents Catholic programming, can be seen in the upper-left corner of the circulating video (archived link).

A combination of reverse image and keyword searches led to the same footage uploaded by EWTN on their official Facebook page on January 2, 2023 (archived link).

The video's caption reads: "The mortal remains of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI were moved early Monday morning to St. Peter’s Basilica, where the late pope is lying in state through Jan. 4. Thousands are entering the Vatican Basilica to pray and pay their respects to Benedict XVI."

Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared video (left) and EWTN's video (right)

Benedict died at the age of 95, a decade after becoming the first pontiff since the Middle Ages to resign (archived link).

The official Facebook accounts of Vatican News and Catholic News Agency also shared the similar footage (archived here and here).

AFP has debunked other misinformation related to the death of Pope Francis here and here.

Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.

E-mail