Pope John Paul`s Body Was Not Exhumed Recently.

A video circulating online claims to show the preserved body of Pope John Paul II, accompanied by a false assertion that it was recently exhumed and has not shown signs of decay. However, a thorough investigation by Fact Crescendo reveals that this claim is entirely false.

Social Media posts :

The video is circulated on WhatsApp with a caption asserting that Pope John Paul II's body was recently exhumed and showed no signs of decay after 12 years. The video, lasting four minutes and 31 seconds, captures a scene where a group of Catholic nuns and other individuals eagerly await someone's arrival through the church doors. Accompanied by a Spanish hymn in the background, a group of men can be seen carrying a large glass case down the aisle, which appears to contain the body of Pope John Paul II.

The same misleading claim presented in the video is spreading rapidly on Facebook, going viral.

Numerous individuals have inquired about the authenticity of the video purportedly displaying the body of Pope John Paul II. In response to these inquiries, we undertook measures to ascertain the accuracy of the footage.

Fact Check :

Pope John Paul II passed away on April 2, 2005, and was later canonised as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church on April 27, 2014. He remains highly respected and revered, particularly in his home country of Poland, and is remembered for his extensive travels as a pope.

By conducting a reverse image search and utilising Google Translate to search for relevant Spanish keywords on YouTube, such as "reliquias de juan pablo ii en Mexico" or "the relics of John Paul II in Mexico," Fact Crescendo managed to locate the original video. The video's description translates to "Visit of the Relics of Blessed John Paul II to Mercedes School" and was uploaded in August 2011 by Hernández Romero.

The video in question, filmed in Mexico in 2011, features a wax figure of Pope John Paul II being transported into a packed church. The wax figure was displayed at a Catholic school and was not the actual body of the late pontiff.

Fact Crescendo discovered a fact-check article published by El Universo in 2016. According to the report, the video showcases a life-size wax figure of Pope John Paul II, featuring a cross on its chest. The wax figure had been touring different dioceses in Mexico for several years.

While Getty Images contains photographs of the exhumation, these images only capture the exterior of the casket and provide no insight into the state of the body.

However, Fact Crescendo has confirmed that this claim is entirely baseless. Pope John Paul II's body was not exhumed recently; the exhumation occurred in 2011, before his beatification, which is the first step towards sainthood. An ABC News article from April 29, 2011, reported on the exhumation, stating that top Vatican officials and some of the late pope's closest aides were present as his coffin was removed from the crypts below St. Peter's Basilica.

To further dispel the false claim, In April 2014, Pope Francis, the incumbent pontiff, pronounced two of his predecessors, John Paul II and John XXIII, as saints within the Roman Catholic Church. You can find further details regarding this declaration by clicking here.

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Conclusion :

The video is circulated on WhatsApp & Facebook with a caption asserting that Pope John Paul II's body was recently exhumed and showed no signs of decay after 12 years. The viral video does not depict the preserved body of Pope John Paul II but rather a wax figure exhibited in Mexico in 2011.