Hoax - 'Pope Comes Out as Gay'

Outline
Social media driven message, couched as a news report, claims that Pope Benedict XVI resigned his papacy because he is gay and "could no longer live a lie."

© Depositphotos.com/rubenkh

Brief Analysis
The message is a hoax. Pope Benedict XVI made no such announcement. The story originates from a satirical website that publishes purely fictional reports in a news like format.

Example

Detailed Analysis
This message, which is currently gaining momentum on Facebook and other social media sites, claims that Pope Benedict XVI has announced that he is gay and decided to resign his papacy because he could no longer live a lie. The message circulates in the guise of a news item and includes a picture of the Pope along with a link to full report on the issue on dailycurrant.com.

However, not surprisingly, Pope Benedict has made no such announcement. The story was first published on satirical website,The Daily Currant and is not a genuine news report. The Daily Currant's "About" page explains the site's purpose thusly:

The Daily Currant is an English language online satirical newspaper that covers global politics, business, technology, entertainment, science, health and media. Our mission is to ridicule the timid ignorance which obstructs our progress, and promote intelligence - which presses forward.

Our stories are purely fictional. However they are meant to address real-world issues through satire and often refer and link to real events happening in the world.

None of the stories published on The Daily Currant are factual as most people who visit the site itself will quickly realize. However, when such satirical pieces are lifted from their original context and began circulating via other media, they are apt to fool at least a few readers into believing their claims.

Last updated: March 9, 2013 First published: March 9, 2013 Written by Brett M. Christensen About Hoax-Slayer

References
The Daily Currant - Pope Benedict Comes Out as Gay
The Daily Currant - About