Did Pope Francis Say God Told Him to Change the Ten Commandments?
Pope Francis has been a target of fake news — again! This time, he was falsely quoted to have said that God instructed him to update the Ten Commandments. The pope was said to have made the announcement in Ecuador in 2015, according to an obscure website.
Based on Real News Right Now, Pope Francis made revisions to the Ten Commandments to "reflect the changing times." The changes included abolishing the rule prohibiting homosexuality and adultery, accommodating same-sex couples and a new commandment that considers selfies as an abomination.
AP confirmed that the pope celebrated his first Mass in Ecuador on July 6, 2015, but his homily centered on the Virgin Mary and the family.
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"At no time during the trip, or at any other point in his four-year pontificate, has Francis changed the Ten Commandments, the report stated.
Real News Right Now carries fabricated reports with ridiculous titles like "Russian President Vladimir Putin Appoints Steven Seagal as Tsar of Crimea." It generates revenue by luring unsuspecting readers into clicking on the site. Unlike other satirical sites, though, this one doesn't carry a disclaimer.
The site's author is introduced as R. Hobbus J.D., who supposedly won non-existent awards like the "Oscar Mayer Award for Journalistic Excellence" and the "Stephen Glass Distinction in Journalistic Integrity," which is named after a reporter notorious for falsifying news.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg reiterated his commitment to fight fake news.
"There have been some accusations that say that we actually want this kind of content on our service because its more content and people click on it, but that's cr*p," CNBC quoted him. "No-one in our community wants fake information."
The Vatican is not worried about the fake news' impact on Pope Francis' credibility as it is too absurd to be believed. "We're aware of many of these fake stories, but most don't merit any action on our part because they're so far-fetched," spokesman Greg Burke told AP.
