An image shared on Facebook claims Pope Francis asked everyone to say a prayer about being “vaccinated by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.”

Facebook/Screenshot

Verdict: False

There is no record of Pope Francis making such a request. A Vatican spokesperson refuted the claim.

Fact Check:

The Facebook post claims Pope Francis requested that believers say a prayer, reading: “I am vaccinated by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, no virus can touch me. Amen.”

There is, however, no evidence that Pope Francis actually made this request. Such a prayer request does not appear on Pope Francis’ verified Twitter account or on the Vatican’s website. Had Pope Francis requested people say a prayer affirming that they are “vaccinated by the precious blood of Jesus Christ,” media outlets likely would have reported on it, yet none have.

The prayer request seems to go against previous comments Pope Francis has made encouraging everyone to get vaccinated, further adding to the post’s dubiousness. (RELATED: Did Pope Francis Announce That A COVID-19 Vaccine Will Be Required For Entering Heaven?)

“I believe that morally everyone must take the vaccine,” said Pope Francis in a Jan. 10 interview with Italy’s TG5 news program. “It is the moral choice because it is about your life but also the lives of others.”

“We must pay very close attention to everything Pope Francis says publicly, particularly about COVID-19,” Fr. Roger Landry, an attaché to the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations, said in an email to Check Your Fact. “As far as I am aware, Pope Francis has never said that. It would also seem to contradict his urging everyone in January to be vaccinated.”

This isn’t the first time social media users have shared fabricated statements attributed to Pope Francis. Check Your Fact debunked in December a baseless claim that Pope Francis said receiving a COVID-19 vaccine will now be required to enter Heaven