Two YouTube videos and two Facebook (FB) posts claim that Pope Francis has officially resigned, and that he appointed Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle as his successor. This is false.
No resignation took place, and papal appointment is not the method of succession in the Vatican.
One of the videos, published Jan. 11, had the following caption:
“Pope Francis resigns: Cardinal Luis Tagle to Become the New Pope: History rewritten”
Another video, published Jan. 13, claimed in its headline:
“JUST NOW Pope Francis Resigns, Cardinal Luis Tagle Appointed as New Pope”
These are not true. The Holy See’s official website has not issued any statement or pronouncement to this effect. It only released the latest activities of Pope Francis who attended two Roman Catholic Church events recently: he celebrated Holy Mass during the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord on Jan. 12 and addressed pilgrims in his first Jubilee Audience on Jan. 11.
Tagle currently serves as the pro-prefect of the Section for the First Evangelization and New Particular Churches of the Dicastery for Evangelization. He was archbishop of Manila from 2011 to 2020.
Popes of the Roman Catholic Church are not appointed by an incumbent pope. When a pope dies or resigns, the College of Cardinals – a group of up to 120 cardinals under the age of 80 – elects a new pope during a gathering called the papal conclave.
In his newly-published biography Hope, the 88-year-old pope from Argentina, who had surgery in 2021 to address a condition called diverticulitis and in 2023 to repair a hernia, said he is well.
“The reality is that even during the days of surgery I never thought of resigning,” he said in the 303-page book.
Published by YouTube channels Heart of Truth (created on Sept. 11, 2024) and Business Hook (June 24, 2022), the erroneous videos have garnered over 123,889 views, 1,277 likes, and 269 comments. These videos appeared after the pope delivered a message during the Jan. 8 General Audience.
FB page Pilyong OFW (created on Aug. 8, 2021) and one FB user also uploaded copies of the erroneous YouTube videos, garnering 310 interactions and 2,200 views.
Tagle currently serves as the pro-prefect of the Section for the First Evangelization and New Particular Churches of the Dicastery for Evangelization. He also serves as the prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples since 2019, and has served as the archbishop of Manila from 2011 to 2020.
