Fact Check: Is Pope Francis holding “aliens” conference?
Interest in life among the stars has attracted wide attention from the public and politicians in the past few years, with new investigations examining alleged sightings of extraterrestrial phenomena.
Within the past year, the Pentagon has confirmed the existence of a government database with at least 800 reports of “anomalous” objects. In 2022, it launched its All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office to investigate what we know about mysterious sightings in the sky.
This week, an announcement from the Vatican on “supernatural phenomena” drew speculation that the pope also has an interest in extraterrestrials, as well as questions about the Catholic Church’s view on aliens.
Pope Francis waves to the crowd during a weekly audience at the Vatican. News this week that the Vatican would hold a press conference on “supernatural” phenomena led to speculation that the existence of alien life would be addressed.
Vatican Media
The Claim
A Thursday post on X (formerly Twitter) by “UFO News” account @SkyFireNews said: “Pope to hold press conference on aliens and the supernatural tomorrow!”
The Facts
Neither the pope nor Vatican clergy or staff is holding a press conference about alien life.
This week, the Holy See, which governs the church, said that on Friday it would hold “a press conference…to present the new provisions of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith for discerning between apparitions and other supernatural phenomena.”
Some reported that this would concern alien or extraterrestrial life. However, there is no reference to extraterrestrial life in the Vatican documents on the discernment of apparitions or supernatural phenomena. Nor is there any in the new guidance.
As reported by Reuters, which covered the conference, the new guidelines recommend greater caution regarding supernatural events like weeping Madonnas and how the clergy judges such events.
The Vatican’s doctrinal office published its reasoning on Friday morning. The guidance allows bishops to permit worship of what may be believed to be a supernatural phenomenon or apparition that has not been formally declared by the Vatican as such.
Newsweek has contacted Holy See representatives via email for comment.
An established supernatural apparition, according to the church, has “manifested signs or evidence of being an authentic or truly miraculous intervention from heaven.“
Under guidance published in 1978, the choices given to bishops were more prescriptive and would often require them to seek clarification from an official congregation of the Holy See.
The new guidance also mentions the challenges the church has faced with the influence of the internet and social media in addressing alleged apparitions or supernatural phenomena.
“With the advent of modern means of communication, these phenomena can attract the attention of many believers or cause confusion among them,” the guidance reads.
It continues: “Since news of these events can spread very quickly, the pastors of the Church are responsible for handling these phenomena with care by recognizing their fruits, purifying them of negative elements, or warning the faithful about potential dangers arising from them.
“Moreover, with the development of modern means of communication and the increase in pilgrimages, these phenomena are taking on national and even global proportions, meaning that a decision made in one Diocese has consequences also elsewhere.
“When spiritual experiences are accompanied by physical and psychological phenomena that cannot be immediately explained by reason alone, the Church has the delicate responsibility of studying and discerning these occurrences carefully,” the guidance said.
Nowhere does this guidance mention alien or extraterrestrial life, which appears to have been interpreted rather than understood.
There is no evidence that these guidelines directly or indirectly concern the church’s approach to or thoughts on extraterrestrial life. If further information comes to light that shows otherwise, this story will be updated.
The Ruling
False.
The Vatican has not held a press conference about extraterrestrials. On Friday, its doctrinal office issued new guidance on the recognition of apparitions or supernatural phenomena, such as weeping Madonnas.
Previous and now current church guidance does not concern extraterrestrial life. It is not mentioned directly or indirectly and appears to be an interpretation.
FACT CHECK BY Newsweek’s Fact Check team
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
