A photo shared on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, allegedly shows an image of a UFO displayed in the Vatican coat of arms.

Is the Vatican ruled by aliens? This photo was posted by an Italian citizen at the Vatican on March 30, 2021. For years, conspiracy theorists have revealed that an alien species with a UFO symbol rules the Vatican behind the scenes. Why did the Vatican ban entry to the main… pic.twitter.com/3Q3XjX6Noe

— MAVERICK X (@MAVERIC68078049) September 5, 2023

Verdict: False

This photo is miscaptioned. The coat of arms pictured shows a hat, not a UFO.

Fact Check:

The Vatican on Sunday beatified a Polish family of nine, including an unborn child, who were killed by Nazis during World War II for sheltering Jews, according to AP News. This marks the first time an entire family has been beatified, according to The Guardian.

The X post purports a UFO is featured in the Vatican coat of arms. The photo shared appears to show a Vatican official in a pink and purple robe with a coat of arms above his head which is circled in red.

“Is the Vatican ruled by aliens? This photo was posted by an Italian citizen at the Vatican on March 30, 2021,” the caption reads in part. “For years, conspiracy theorists have revealed that an alien species with a UFO symbol rules the Vatican behind the scenes.”

The photo is miscaptioned, however. In another picture that can be seen on Getty Images, a frontal view of the same coat of arms shows that the object is a hat, not a UFO.

The hat seen on the coat of arms is called a galero and has fifteen tassels on either side of the shield, according to the Archdiocese of Chicago website. (RELATED: No, Pope Francis Did Not Say Alcoholics Should Be Euthanized To ‘Fight Climate Change’)

Check Your Fact has reached out to the Holy See and Catholicism experts for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received from any of these sources.