An image shared on Facebook claims Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Italy has “lost control” of the new coronavirus and the country’s “only hope remains up in the Sky, God rescue your people.”

Verdict: False

There is no record of Conte making the statement. The Brazilian president – not Conte – is pictured in the post.

Fact Check:

At press time, Italy has reported over 69,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 6,820 deaths, surpassing China as the country with the highest death toll, according to the Johns Hopkins University live map. The New York Times and others have labeled the country as the new epicenter of the global coronavirus pandemic.

“We have lost control, we have killed the epidemic physically and mentally,” a viral March 22 post credits Conte with saying. “Can’t understand what more we can do, all solutions are exhausted on ground. Our only hope remains up in the Sky, God rescue your people.”

But there is no evidence that Conte ever actually said these words. No credible source could be found to corroborate the quote, and it appears nowhere on his social media accounts. Its message seemingly contradicts the tone of statements Conte has previously made about the pandemic.

159 anni fa veniva proclamata l’Unità d’Italia. Da allora il nostro Paese ha affrontato mille difficoltà, guerre mondiali, il regime fascista. Ma gli italiani, con orgoglio e determinazione, hanno sempre saputo rialzarsi e ripartire. A testa alta.

— Giuseppe Conte (@GiuseppeConteIT) March 17, 2020

“159 years ago the unification of Italy was proclaimed. Since then, our country has faced a thousand difficulties, world wars, the fascist regime,” reads a translated tweet from Conte. “But the Italians, with pride and determination, have always been able to get up and start again. With your head held high.”

The photo, taken by Sergio Lima for the news website Poder360, actually shows Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro during an emotional speech at a worship service in December 2019. He teared up when recalling his experience getting stabbed and almost killed in a September 2019 attack, according to a translation of the Poder360 article.

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