Maria Licciardi, 70, was cuffed at Ciampino airport in Rome Saturday while attempting to fly to Malaga in southern Spain. She is accused of mafia association, extortion, auction rigging and more.
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Viral and fake rumors that Pope Francis was arrested are being spread by far-right conspiracy theorists
Viral and fake rumors that Pope Francis was arrested are being spread by far-right conspiracy theorists
Rachel E. GreenspanJan 12, 2021, 03:50 IST
Pope Francis celebrates Holy Mass on the occasion of the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord at the Altar of the Fatherland of St. Peter s Basilica on January 6th, 2021.Grzegorz Galazka/Archivio Grzegorz Galazka/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images
An article on a right-wing website plagiarized an Associated Press article to falsely claim that
Pope Francis was arrested on human trafficking charges.
A representative for the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations told Insider that the conspiracy theory was fake
Origin
In January 2021, readers asked Snopes to examine the accuracy and authenticity of a widely-shared online post claiming that Italian police had arrested Pope Francis in the Vatican and charged him with child pornography, human trafficking, incest, fraud, and drug-related offenses.
On Jan. 10, Conservative Beaver, a website with a track record of publishing baseless conspiracy theories, posted an article with the headline: “VATICAN BLACKOUT: Pope Arrested on 80 Count Indictment for Child Trafficking, Fraud.”
The article reported that:
Pope Francis aka Jorge Mario Bergoglio was arrested Saturday in connection with an 80- count indictment of charges including possession of child pornography, human trafficking, incest, possession of drug paraphernalia and felony fraud.