Some users on social media claim that a photo shows Pope Francis wearing designer clothes. The photo is incorrectly underwritten: in the photo from 2007, his predecessor Pope Benedict is wearing a white and gold outfit with red loafers. There is no evidence that he was wearing a designer garment.
Facebook posts with the meme can be seen here, here and here.
The text accompanying the photo reads: ‘Pope Francis I, wearing a stunning vintage, chiffon-lined Dior gold cripple gown over a silk Vera Wang empire tulle cocktail dress, fitted with a 3-foot hat from House of Whoville and Judy Garland’s Wizard of Oz ruby slippers … about to tell us it’s wrong to be gay. ”
The image that appears in this post can be seen here on Reuters Pictures.
It shows how Pope Benedict XVI (C) was helped with his mantle during the celebration of the First Vespers and Te Deum prayers in the St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on December 31, 2007. Reuters’ footage of the day can be seen here , here, here.
Similar versions, which do not attribute the photo to Pope Francis, have only spread “the pope” online here, here, here, since at least 2013. Some iterations contain another photo of Pope Benedict (here)
According to the earliest repetitions that Reuters could find on Facebook groups and pages, the version of the meme referring to Pope Francis began circulating on March 15, 2021 (here).
It seems to have received attention after the Vatican said that priests could not bless same-sex unions and that such blessings were not valid, in a ruling issued by gay Catholics who had high hopes that their church under Pope Francis (here ) was more welcoming, very disappointing.
From the time he was archbishop in his native Argentina, Pope Francis supported the right of gay couples to have civil legal protection, but always opposed gay marriage. A timeline of Pope Francis and the Vatican’s most important statements on LGBT + issues can be seen here.
Reuters found no evidence that Pope Benedict was wearing clothes from fashion brands Vera Wang or Dior as the meme claims.
As reported by Reuters here, Benedict’s penchant for reviving costumes for generations and a series of flamboyant hats prompted the Wall Street Journal to ask, “Is Pope Prada wearing?” Esquire magazine named him ‘Accessorizer of the Year’ and praised his red leather loafers.
The report eventually received a reprimand from the Vatican. “In summary, the pope does not carry Prada, but Christ,” wrote L’Osservatore Romano.
Benedict’s red loafers were not Prada. At least one pair was handmade by Antonio Arellano in a small shoemaker’s shop in a narrow back street of St. Peter’s Square.
Francis, the first pope from Latin America, made many gestures to indicate the preference for simplicity and humility. The approach extends to his clothes. While Benedict wears a gold cross, red pope shoes, and a reddish-brown hood with reddish-brown clothing, Francis prefers simple white clothing, a silver-plated metal cross, and plain black shoes (here). Further reading can be found here.
VERDICT
Incorrectly marked. Meme contains a photo of Pope Benedict, not of Pope Francis. Reuters found no evidence that he was wearing designer clothes, as alleged.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our work to actually check social media posts.