A photo shared on Facebook allegedly shows Pope Francis in an oversized white puffer coat. 

Verdict: False 

The image is not a genuine photo of Pope Francis, but instead was created by artificial intelligence.

Fact Check:

Pope Francis has been hospitalized for a respiratory infection and will remain there for a few days, according to CNN. The pope had part of one lung removed at a young age due to a previous respiratory infection, AP News reported.

The Facebook post claims to show Pope Francis wearing a large white puffer coat. In the image, the Pope is wearing a matching white hat and a very large crucifix on a necklace. The photo was also shared on Twitter, where it garnered over 22,000 retweets.

The boys in Brooklyn could only hope for this level of drip pic.twitter.com/MiqkcLQ8Bd

— Nikita S (@singareddynm) March 25, 2023

The image originates from a Facebook account called Guerrero Art. The image was posted by the account to a group called Midjourney Official. Midjourney is an image-making artificial intelligence (AI) program, according to MIT Technology Review.

“Prompt : Catholic Pope Francis wearing Balenciaga puffy jacket in drill rap music video,” the post’s caption reads. “Throwing up gang signs with hands, taken using a Canon EOS R camera with a 50mm f/1.8 lens.” This most likely refers to the “prompt” the AI was given that returned these photos. (RELATED: Did Pope Francis ‘Cancel’ The Bible And Propose Replacing It?)

Check Your Fact has reached out to the office of Pope Francis for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.

This is not the first time images created with AI have been mistaken as genuine. Check Your Fact previously debunked images claiming to show a satanic-themed hotel opening soon in Plano, Texas.