The Pope Benedict XVI death rumors just won't die down.
Though frail-looking and with declining physical and mental health, as he himself admitted a few years back, the rumors that quickly spread on social media are just not true.
Representatives of the ex-Pontiff belied the reports and confirmed this second Sunday of April that Benedict XVI is alive. They asked people to cease believing what they read online. Ironically, Pope Benedict XVI had taken to Twitter during his Administration as a form of Papal communication.
Pope Benedict XVI had, in recent months, been vocal about maintaining a prayerful presence, even if he had discussions with Pope Francis on the possibility of rejoining Church life. Joseph Ratzinger voluntarily resigned from the Papacy in February 2013, catching many people by surprise. There were quarters who wondered if there were other reasons for the resignation apart from advancing years and waning strength.
News of Pope Benedict XVI's demise in a popular social media site was greeted with some skepticism. Lots of people, on the other hand, were thrown into a frenzy and were grief-stricken. Many expressed their condolences in the social media site. Back in November 2011, Cardinal Paolo Romeo, the archbishop of Palermo in Sicily, reportedly stated his prediction that Pope Benedict XVI will face death.
Death hoaxes and fake reports about high-profile personages, especially in social networking sites, come and go. Hence, it's up to discerning individuals to figure out which ones are 'real news' and which ones are hearsay. Misleading reports are the order of the day, so before passing on news pertaining to life & death, people must check out the basis of the report.
There have been threats on the lives of clergymen. Murders do happen, like in the case of Father Francisco Javier Gutiérrez Díaz, who was recently shot dead in Mexico. A spate of killings of clergymen had occurred in Mexico.
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