Pope video about Christian unity, not a disclosure of 'secret agenda' | Fact check

Kate S. Petersen, USA TODAY
Updated ·2 min read
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The claim: Video shows Pope acknowledge 'secret agenda,' chastise Christians for watching 'The Hobbit'

A Jan. 10 Facebook video (direct link, archive link) shows Pope Francis speaking briefly in English and then in Italian. Subtitles included in the video give a purported translation of the pope's message.

"I am ashamed to tell you this, but I have secret (sic) agenda to deceive you," reads the subtitles at one point in the video. "Yes, it looks good to unite people in a one world religion. That way I control them better."

The video's caption reads, in part, "The Popes (sic) Confession To The World. The Real Truth About The Vatican And The Jesuit Priests."

According to the subtitles, Francis also chastises Christians who watch "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" and other movies and TV shows.

The post was shared 17,000 times in a month.

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The subtitles on the video are inaccurate. Francis does not mention a "secret agenda" or "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" in the video.

Subtitles misrepresent pope's words

The video shows Francis discussing Christian unity, according to a USA TODAY translation. He does not mention an agenda or any verboten films.

In 2014, multiple Catholic and mainstream news outlets reported that the original video of Pope Francis speaking was recorded on an iPhone and delivered to Kenneth Copeland Ministries, a charismatic protestant organization, to encourage unity between Catholics and other Christian denominations.

A version of the video was uploaded to the Kenneth Copeland Ministries YouTube page in 2020. The subtitles in the video are different than those in the Facebook post and don't mention a "secret agenda" or "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug."

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

AFP and Australian Associated Press also debunked the post.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pope's 2014 video actually about Christian unity | Fact check