On Monday, 16th May 2016 rumors that caused serious distress and brought tears to many hearts lingered declaring that Pope Benedict XVI (the Pope Emeritus) was dead. This news reached the Vatican and investigations were conduct.
It was realized that the news originated from a fake account of Cardinal Pietro Parolin that is operated by an alleged alleged Italian journalist who impersonates the personality of people and is known to announce deaths.
This is the second time the impersonator have announced the death of Pope Benedict XVI. He also announced the death of Fidel Castro, JK Rowling and Pedro Almodóvar.
In any case, to recognize whether a story about the Pope is authentic, it is important to remember two points:
– First, no cardinal would announce the death of a Pope first on Twitter.
– Secondly, if the news were true, it would be immediately confirmed by the Vatican press room.