Did Pope Francis endorse Bernie Sanders during speech?

An article on a spoof news website called USAToday.com.co is claiming that Pope Francis has openly endorsed presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.

The 2016 Presidential election is really hotting up, and this means we can expect the usual deluge of politically-orientated hoaxes hitting the Interwebs over the course of the next year or so.

The claim that Pope Francis has endorsed Bernie Sanders during a final speech to the synod has recently hit the Internet hard, despite containing very little truth to it whatsoever.

The article – from USAToday.com.co – claims that Pope Francis said the following in a speech to the synod –

“The synod experience also made us better realize that the true defenders are not those who uphold its letter, but its spirit; not ideas but people; not formulas but free availability of God’s love and forgiveness…
I see in Senator Bernard Sanders a man of great integrity and moral conviction, who understands these principles and genuinely wants what’s best for all people.”

To the articles credit, they got half the quote right. The first half, that is, about true defenders. The second half however, that endorses Bernie Sanders, has been entirely made up. You can read the full speech the Pope made by clicking this link. It doesn’t mention Bernie Sanders.

Of course there has been plenty of political speculation on what candidate the Pope may prefer, some believing that his recent trip to the USA seemed to favour the ideologies of Sanders more than any other candidate. But none of this could even remotely constitute an open endorsement for Sanders. It would be considered very unusual for a pope to come out with some a brazen endorsement for a particular candidate during an upcoming presidential election.

The USAToday.com.co article doesn’t stop there, as it also fabricates other quotes too, even one from Cardinal Justin Francis Rigali.

If you hadn’t have guessed by now, USAToday.com.co isn’t USAToday. It is a purely fictitious website that merely uses the USAToday brand to add an air of legitimacy to its articles. It should not be taken seriously, since it prints purely spoof news. In the past the website has published an article claiming Caitlyn Jenner won the Nobel Prize for courage despite no such award even existing.

Remember to always be careful what information you choose to share online. Just because it looks like a real article, it doesn’t mean that it is!