Video of wax statue of Pope John Paul II is shared with false claims.
Claim
Pope St. John Paul’s body was exhumed yesterday after 12 years. His body appear intact with no signs of decay
Rating
Explanation
A 4:31-minute video purportedly showing nuns waiting in a church and the arrival of a glass box with the body of Pope John Paul is viral. This video also purportedly shows the body of Pope John Paul from different angles.
This video is viral since 2016 with the same claim and has been revived now. It is extremely viral on Facebook now. Some of the posts with such a claim can be seen here, here and here.
What is the truth?
When reverse-searching the viral video we found that it is not the body of Pope John Paul II but his wax statue.
A news report on New Jersey 101.5 is found carrying a similar image of Pope John Paul mentioned as an effigy of Pope John Paul II, kept under glass at the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City.
A video uploaded on EduMaster Hernandez Romero in August 2011 is found with matching visuals from the viral video. The video is titled ‘Relics of Pope John Paul II’.
Another article dated October 2011 on Ricardohauante, features matching visuals from the viral video. It reported that the wax replica of John Paul II wears a skullcap, a white suit, red cape and black stole with golden details, with a rosary in his hands and in the center is a capsule containing the blessed’s blood.
In addition to it, AP Archive Youtube channel uploaded a video in August 2015 with the title ‘Exhibition of Pope John Paul II’s personal belongings in Guadalupe church’. The description part mentions “Worshippers applauded, cried and prayed as they walked pass a glass case containing a wax figure of Pope John Paul II wearing a papal robe. The relics on display include a piece of skin belonging to John Paul II inside a reliquary, the papal robe he used during his first visit to Mexico and a collection of commemorative coins.”
We found an NBC News article dated April 2011 mentioning that Pope John Paul II’s coffin was exhumed ahead of his beatification as tens of thousands of people began arriving in Rome for one of the biggest events since his funeral in 2005. This proves that the video does not show Pope John Paul’s body as it is claimed to be exhumed after 12 years.
Conclusion
It is found that the video shows the wax statue of Pope John Paul II and not his body as claimed.
