False claim Pope Francis, Clinton pushed depopulation as climate solution | Fact check
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The claim: Bill Clinton, Pope Francis called for 'human depopulation' to save the planet
A Sept. 25 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows a screenshot of what appears to be a news story about a conversation between a former president and a religious leader.
"Bill Clinton and Pope Francis Call for 'Urgent Depopulation' To Save the Planet," reads the article's headline.
It received more than 1,000 likes in six days.
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Our rating: False
While the two leaders had a public conversation in September, the discussion contained no mention of population control. The claim originated on a website known to spread misinformation.
No mention of population control when pontiff, Bill Clinton talked
Pope Francis was one of the guests at the Clinton Foundation’s Clinton Global Initiative 2023. His online conversation with former President Bill Clinton on Sept. 18 covered topics including climate change and Francis’ work with the Bambino Gesu Children’s Hospital in Rome, according to a report by Vatican News.
But the solutions to the climate crisis they discussed did not include depopulating the planet, as the post claimed.
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The screenshot in the post is from a Sept. 24 story by The People’s Voice, a website known for publishing misinformation. It claims the two men teamed up to advocate for cutting the population of the planet to save it from “global boiling."
But at no point during their 11-minute conversation did either of them bring up anything about population control or refer to a "global boiling," according to video of the event posted by C-SPAN and transcripts of the event shared by the Clinton Foundation and the Vatican. There are no credible news reports about such a development.
The People's Voice, previously known as NewsPunch, has repeatedly published fabricated stories, many of which USA TODAY has debunked.
USA TODAY reached out to The People’s Voice and to the user who shared the post but did not immediately receive responses.
Lead Stories also debunked the post.
Our fact-check sources:
C-SPAN, 18, Pope Francis Speaks at Clinton Global Initiative
Clinton Foundation, Sept. 18, His Holiness Pope Francis, President Clinton Discuss Climate Change, Importance Of Collaboration, And The Work Of The Bambino Gesù Hospital At Cgi 2023
The Vatican, Sept. 18, Address of His Holiness Pope Francis
Vatican News, Sept. 18, Pope to Clinton Global Initiative: Children and climate must both be protected
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No, Pope Francis and Clinton not calling for depopulation | Fact check
