Why the Vatican gave unprecedented health updates on Pope Francis

The Vatican issued twice-daily medical briefings during Pope Francis' lengthy hospitalisation as a deliberate strategy to 'counter disinformation' about his condition, The Independent has been told.
As Pope Francis battled pneumonia in the final weeks of his life, his doctor held twice-daily press conferences —an unusually transparent move for such a high-profile figure.
The Vatican's goal: to 'spread official news' and 'counter disinformation' surrounding his health.
'We confirm that the intent of the conferences is to spread official news. Especially on the occasion of the illness, when the Pope was hospitalised at the Gemelli, official information was obviously also necessary to counter disinformation' The Holy See told The Independent.
Conspiracy theories about the health of high-profile figures are on the rise, most recently after the Princess of Wales ' cancer diagnosis and false claims about President Lula's hospitalisation in Brazil last year.
'This is a classic sort of case of prebunking' Benjamin Shultz, a researcher at The American Sunlight Project told The Independent.
'It's to get ahead of the curve and work in front of the rumours instead of catching up to them' he added.
Prebunking is a preventative strategy designed to proactively counter false narratives before they spread. It involves equipping people with accurate information about potential misinformation, enabling them to better recognise and resist falsehoods.
'It disarms conspiracy theories before they emerge by closing the information gap. There is no room for speculation' Ben added.
And it seems to have worked—little to no misinformation circulated about the Pope's condition, according to Ben Shultz.
'I think, you know, to an extent it worked. There was nothing really crossing my desk that I saw that was conspiratorial or misinformed about his health.' he said.
'I can't think of another example where twice a day, you know, one leader's press team has done a press conference. But I think it's a good blueprint' he added.
In 2017 t he Vatican was forced to deny that former Pope Benedict XVI was close to death after rumours about his health were circulated on social media.
The reports claimed the former pontiff's personal secretary, Georg Ganswein, had described the former leader of the Catholic Church as "like a candle that fades slowly".
The quotation that had been circulated was actually taken from a 2016 interview with Mr Ganstein, published in Italian magazine BenEssere.
Pope Francis, who had previously been the target of AI-generated disinformation, had long warned about the dangers of false narratives and synthetic images and videos—particularly their potential to worsen what he called a growing 'crisis of truth.'
In January, the Pope wrote a message addressed to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, calling on political, economic, and business leaders to exercise vigilant oversight over the development and deployment of AI technologies.
"AI can now generate results that are nearly indistinguishable from human work," Francis cautioned, "raising serious questions about its influence on public discourse and the erosion of truth."
The Vatican's shift in communication strategy raises a pressing question: in an age of rampant online falsehoods and an ever-changing social media landscape, could radical transparency be our strongest defence—demonstrating that more communication might, in fact, mean less misinformation?

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

The Independent

4 hours ago

• The Independent

ChatGPT use linked to cognitive decline, research reveals

Relying on the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT to help you write an essay could be linked to cognitive decline, a new study reveals. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab studied the impact of ChatGPT on the brain by asking three groups of people to write an essay. One group relied on ChatGPT, one group relied on search engines, and one group had no outside resources at all. The researchers then monitored their brains using electroencephalography, a method which measures electrical activity. The team discovered that those who relied on ChatGPT — also known as a large language model — had the 'weakest' brain connectivity and remembered the least about their essays, highlighting potential concerns about cognitive decline in frequent users. 'Over four months, [large language model] users consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels,' the study reads. 'These results raise concerns about the long-term educational implications of [large language model] reliance and underscore the need for deeper inquiry into AI's role in learning.' The study also found that those who didn't use outside resources to write the essays had the 'strongest, most distributed networks.' While ChatGPT is 'efficient and convenient,' those who use it to write essays aren't 'integrat[ing] any of it' into their memory networks, lead author Nataliya Kosmyna told Time Magazine. Kosmyna said she's especially concerned about the impacts of ChatGPT on children whose brains are still developing. 'What really motivated me to put it out now before waiting for a full peer review is that I am afraid in 6-8 months, there will be some policymaker who decides, 'let's do GPT kindergarten,'' Kosmyna said. 'I think that would be absolutely bad and detrimental. Developing brains are at the highest risk.' But others, including President Donald Trump and members of his administration, aren't so worried about the impacts of ChatGPT on developing brains. Trump signed an executive order in April promoting the integration of AI into American schools. 'To ensure the United States remains a global leader in this technological revolution, we must provide our Nation's youth with opportunities to cultivate the skills and understanding necessary to use and create the next generation of AI technology,' the order reads. 'By fostering AI competency, we will equip our students with the foundational knowledge and skills necessary to adapt to and thrive in an increasingly digital society.' Kosmyna said her team is now working on another study comparing the brain activity of software engineers and programmers who use AI with those who don't. 'The results are even worse,' she told Time Magazine.

The Sun

17 hours ago

• The Sun

The strange sign in your EARWAX that can predict if you'll develop devastating brain disorder

Eliza Loukou, Health Reporter Published: Invalid Date, YOUR earwax could be used to predict whether you'll develop Parkinson's, scientists say, About 153,000 people in the UK live with the devastating neurological disorder, caused by a loss of nerve cells in the brain. The progressive disease is characterised by symptoms such as tremors, slow movement and muscle stiffness, which slowly get worse. According to researchers Zhejiang University in China, most Parkinson's treatments only slow the disease's progression, so early diagnosis is important for managing symptoms. But current tests for spotting the disease - such as brain scans or rating scales - can be expensive or subjective, they said. Now, a study published to Analytical Chemistry suggests that earwax could be used as a cost effective way to screen people for Parkinson's. Researchers claimed they'd developed a new AI system that could help catch the disease at an early stage, using earwax samples. Previous studies have shown that changes in sebum - an oily substance secreted by the skin - could help identify people with Parkinson's. Sebum from people with the disease may have a characteristic, musky smell because volatile organic compounds released by sebum are altered by disease progression. But sebum on the surface of the skin isn't a reliable substance for testing as it's exposed to pollution or humidity, which can change its composition. However, sebum in ear canals is sheltered from the elements. Seeing as the oily substance is the main component of earwax and it's easy to sample, researchers decided to use it for their screening tool. Good Morning Britain star reveals Parkinson's diagnosis after tragic death of his wife To identify the compounds released by sebum in people with Parkinson's, the researchers swabbed the ear canals of 209 participants, more than half of which were diagnosed with the condition. They then analysed wax samples, identifying four volatile organic compounds specific to people with Parkinson's. Those include ethylbenzene, 4-ethyltoluene, pentanal, and 2-pentadecyl-1,3-dioxolane. Researchers said these could serve as potential biomarkers for Parkinson's. Using these findings, they were able to develop a system that inexpensively screens for Parkinson's. Everything you need to know about Parkinson's Parkinson's is a progressive neurological condition, meaning that it causes problems in the brain and gets worse over time. It affects around 153,000 people in the UK. People with Parkinson's don't have enough of the chemical dopamine because some of the nerve cells that make it have stopped working. This can cause a range of more than 40 symptoms, but the three main ones are: Tremor (shaking) Slow movement Rigidity (muscle stiffness) Other common signs include: Mild memory and thinking problems Trouble sleeping Issues with balance Pain Anxiety and depression Shuffling walk with very small steps Difficulty making facial expressions Loss of sense of smell Problems peeing Constipation The four main ways of managing Parkinson's include medication, staying active, exploring occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech and language therapy, and monitoring symptoms. They trained an artificial intelligence olfactory system - a robotic model that can mimic how we smell - with their ear wax compound data. They found it was able to categorise samples with and without Parkinson's with 94 percent accuracy. Researchers suggested their system could be used to a first-line screening tool for early Parkinson's detection and could help improve care for condition by making it possible to administer treatments earlier. Author Hao Dong said: 'This method is a small-scale single-center experiment in China." 2 'The next step is to conduct further research at different stages of the disease, in multiple research centres and among multiple ethnic groups, in order to determine whether this method has greater practical application value.' Earlier this year, scientists warned of a surge in cases of Parkinson's. They said 25 million people across the world will be living with the debilitating brain condition by 2050.

Daily Record

a day ago

• Daily Record

Toddler chokes to death on cherry as dad says seven heartbreaking words

Viviana Maria Barel, two, was eating with her two sisters when she choked on a cherry at her family home. A heartbroken father has shared his anguish after his two year old daughter tragically choked on a common piece of fruit. Little Viviana Maria Barel was dining with her siblings at their family home in Revine Lago, northern Italy, when she choked on a cherry. Tragically, despite frantic attempts to save the toddler, Viviana suffocated to death. The heartbreaking incident occurred around 10 pm on the evening of Saturday, June 14. ‌ Distraught dad Renato Barel informed local press that a nurse residing in the same apartment block had tried to clear the obstruction using the Heimlich manoeuvre. Emergency services arrived swiftly at the scene after an ambulance was summoned and began preparations to intubate Viviana and transport her into the ambulance, reports the Mirror. ‌ However, before they could rush the little girl to the hospital, it became painfully apparent that it was already too late. Vivana had died from oxygen deprivation. Recalling his cherished daughter, dad Renato said: "She was a happy and lively child." Police are reportedly now probing into Viviana's death. The young girl's funeral took place yesterday (June 18) at 3:30 pm, at the church of San Matteo, in Revine. Italian news outlet Il Gazzettino reported that the "entire town paused this afternoon to say goodbye" as Viviana's "small white coffin" was carried into the church, almost exactly one year on from the day of her baptism. As onlookers fought to contain their emotions, a solemn hush fell across Revine Lago; its bars and shops shuttered in observance of the day of mourning ordered by Mayor Massimo Magagnin. Mayor Magagnin articulated: "Our entire community gathers around the family in this moment of immense sadness." Parish priest, Don Angelino Granziera, who led the poignant service, honoured "a little girl who radiated happiness". Speaking to the congregation, including Viviana's immediate family, he proclaimed: "Viviana is now in the safe hands of the Lord, ready to welcome a life to make it flourish in eternity. "Her short earthly journey entrusts us with an important treasure. Her great joy, her ever-ready smiles, the beauty of her face will continue to live". Following the conclusion of the funeral rites, Viviana's casket was carried away for cremation. The touching epitaph inscribed for her said: "You were a gift to all of us. The love you lit in our hearts will never be extinguished." Previously, the same outlet had recounted how Viviana's distraught parents waited until daylight to convey the tragic news to her two young sisters, ages six and nine.