A long-hidden photo of John Paul II and the Virgin Mary? No, that's a painting | Fact check

Isabel C. Morales, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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The claim: The Vatican hid a picture of Pope John Paul II and the Virgin Mary for years

[En Español: ¿Una foto oculta de Juan Pablo II y la Virgen María? No, es un cuadro | Hechos]

A Feb. 18 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) includes an image of Pope John Paul II being held by the Virgin Mary, who is dressed in blue.

“THE VATICAN HAS JUST AUTHORIZED THIS PICTURE,” the post reads in Spanish. “It is not known why John Paul II wanted to keep this photo hidden for so many years. The Holy See recently published this photo for the first time.”

It was shared more than 200 times in three days.

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Our rating: False

The Vatican did not hide any picture of John Paul II and the Virgin Mary. The image is an oil painting created in 1984. The claim has been circulating online for years.

Image of Virgin Mary hugging John Paul II is a 1984 painting

Polish artist Izabela Delekta-Wicińska painted the image of the Virgin Mary holding Pope John Paul II in her arms in 1984.  The painting is called “Totus Tuus” in Latin, which means "Totally Yours." Karol Wojtyla chose the phrase, which reflected his devotion to the Virgin Mary, as his motto when he was ordained as a bishop in 1958 and it accompanied him throughout his papacy.

The claim said the photo was taken during the attempted assassination of the pope at Saint Peter’s Square on May 13, 1981, but the painting was created in 1984.

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The Catholic News Agency debunked the story in 2018 when it previously went viral. The article said the painting was inspired by a picture that was taken in 1978 of John Paul hugging Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Univision also debunked the claim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Painting, not photo, shows Mary holding John Paul II | Fact check