7 Times Pope Francis Was Misquoted
So it may have been easy to believe that Pope Francis had declared at a major church gathering that Adam and Eve are a "fable", much like Hell.
Once again the claim, which in the words of the Los Angeles Times "went viral", derived from the Diversity Chronicle's satirical piece.
The same satirical piece that was mentioned above again was the source widely circulated online regarding this claim.
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5. Don't Talk About Social Issues
Again, social progressives rejoiced when it sounded like Pope Francis was sympathizing with their views on how the Catholic Church should operate.
In an interview published by an American Jesuit publication in September 2013, the pontiff appeared to want the Church to distance itself from its conservative social positions.
"We have to find a new balance, otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel," said Francis, who felt the Church had become "obsessed" with the issues.
"Pope Francis Criticizes Catholic Church's Past Focus On Social Issues," noted Buzz Feed, with MSNBC reporting that "Progressive Catholics hail Pope Francis' position on social issues" and Huffington Post saying "Pope Francis: Gays, Abortion Too Much Of Catholic Church's Obsession."
What these and other publications either did not mention or underplayed was that Francis was by no means opposed to standing by said conservative social positions.
"The teaching of the church, for that matter, is clear and I am a son of the church," declared Francis.
Furthermore, after the interview was published Francis has been quite vocal about the evils of abortion and assisted suicide.
6. Women and Public Office
In March of 2013, not long after Francis ascended to the position of head of the Catholic Church, statements attributed to him about women being unfit for public office surfaced.
As reported by a writer at examiner.com, then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio said in 2007 that Argentine presidential candidate Cristina Kirchner was unfit for office because she was a woman.
"Women are naturally unfit for political office. Both the natural order and facts show us that the political being par excellence is male; the Scripture shows us that woman has always been the helper of man who thinks and does, but nothing more," said Francis.
The problem with the examiner.com story is that the quote was a complete fabrication, as noted by snopes.com.
"However, no documentation or reference for this quote antedating March 2013 has been found other than a single source of dubious veracity, as noted in an article denouncing the statement as an 'urban legend' on Foros Perú," reported Snopes.
7. Animals and Heaven
In December 2014, the pontiff was reportedly giving comforting words to a boy who had just lost his favorite pet. Francis proceeded to tell the boy that his dog went to Heaven, because animals go to Heaven when they die.
"One day, we will see our animals again in the eternity of Christ. Paradise is open to all of God's creatures," reportedly said Francis.
Giving himself the name of a saint known for his love and care of animals probably only helped spread the purported quote.
However, the New York Times noted in a correction notice that the quote was likely given by Pope Paul VI instead and that Francis' remarks were different in tone and setting.
"He spoke in a general audience at the Vatican on Nov. 26, not in consoling a distraught boy whose dog had died. According to Vatican Radio, Francis said, in speaking of heaven, 'The Holy Scripture teaches us that the fulfillment of this wonderful design also affects everything around us'," noted the NYT.
"He did not say: 'One day, we will see our animals again in the eternity of Christ. Paradise is open to all of God's creatures.' Those remarks are reported to have been made by Pope Paul VI to a distraught child."
