You’ve seen it. Everyone has. It’s that one specific pic of Pope Francis where he looks like he’s about to drop the hottest hip-hop album of the decade. He’s strutting down the street in this massive, crisp white puffer jacket—supposedly Balenciaga—and he looks, honestly, incredibly cool.
But it wasn't real. Not even a little bit.
The image, which exploded across social media in March 2023, was a complete fabrication created by a guy in Chicago using an AI tool called Midjourney. Even though it's been years, people still talk about it. Why? Because it was the first time "the world" collectively realized that we can't believe our own eyes anymore.
The Puffer Jacket That Broke the Internet
Let's be real: the reason the pic of Pope Francis went so viral is that it was almost believable.
The Pope has a history of wearing white. He’s the "people’s Pope." Maybe he finally got a stylist? Maybe the Vatican was trying to reach Gen Z? For a few hours, even celebrities like Chrissy Teigen were totally duped. She tweeted about how she thought it was real and didn't give it a second thought. That's the scary part.
How it actually happened
The image was created by Pablo Xavier, a 31-year-old construction worker. He wasn't some master hacker or a political operative trying to destabilize the church.
He was just high on psychedelic mushrooms and thought it would be funny.
He typed a prompt into Midjourney—something like "The Pope in Balenciaga puffy coat, Moncler, walking the streets of Rome"—and the AI spit out four versions. One of them was the masterpiece. He posted it to a subreddit called "r/midjourney" and then to a Facebook group named "Cursed AI." By the time he woke up, he was the architect of the world's most famous deepfake.
Why Do We Keep Falling for It?
Since the puffer jacket incident, we’ve seen plenty of other fake photos. There have been AI images of the Pope riding a motorcycle, acting as a DJ at a nightclub, and even "leaked" photos of him in a hospital bed with a respirator.
The hospital one, which circulated heavily in early 2025 during his actual health scares, was particularly nasty. It played on people’s genuine concern.
But why do these fakes work so well?
Expertise matters here. AI models like Midjourney and DALL-E are trained on millions of images. Because Pope Francis is one of the most photographed people on Earth, the AI knows his face perfectly. It knows how the light hits his glasses. It knows the exact shade of his zucchetto (the little white cap).
Telltale signs you missed
Even in the famous puffer jacket photo, the "glitches" were there if you looked closely:
- The Hand: His right hand (holding a coffee cup) was a blurry, distorted mess. AI in 2023 was notoriously bad at fingers.
- The Crucifix: The cross hanging from his neck wasn't actually attached to a chain on both sides. It just sort of merged into the jacket’s zipper.
- The Lighting: Look at the edges of his glasses. They often look "melted" into his skin in AI renders.
The Vatican’s Surprising Response
You might think the Pope would be angry. Honestly, he was more concerned than mad.
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In early 2024 and again in 2025, Pope Francis spoke out about the "perils" of AI. He actually mentioned that he had been an "object" of these deepfakes. He didn't just complain about his own image; he warned that this tech could be used to "manipulate minds" and spread hate.
He’s not wrong.
While a puffer jacket is harmless, fake images of the Pope being arrested or endorsing a political candidate could cause actual riots. The Vatican even released a "Call for AI Ethics," signed by companies like Microsoft and IBM, to try and put some guardrails on this stuff.
Real Photos vs. AI: How to Tell the Difference in 2026
By now, in 2026, AI has gotten way better. It doesn't mess up fingers as often. But there are still ways to protect yourself from being the person who shares a fake pic of Pope Francis in the family group chat.
- Check the Source: Did the photo come from the Associated Press, Reuters, or Vatican Media? If it only exists on "X" or a random TikTok, it’s probably fake.
- Look for "The Gloss": AI images often have a weird, hyper-smooth texture. It looks like everyone is wearing 4k makeup and standing under a studio light, even if they're outside.
- The Background Check: AI often ignores the background. Look for people with three legs in the distance or buildings that don't make architectural sense.
- Institutional Rules: Here’s a pro tip. The Vatican has a strict rule (promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1996) that no one is allowed to photograph a Pope on his sickbed. If you see a photo of a Pope in a hospital gown, it is 100% fake.
Why This Matters for the Future
The pic of Pope Francis in that jacket was a "canary in the coal mine" moment. It showed us that "seeing is believing" is a dead concept.
We’re entering an era where visual evidence is no longer evidence. We have to rely on "chains of trust"—knowing exactly where a photo came from and who verified it.
The next time you see a shocking image of a public figure, take a breath. Zoom in on the hands. Check the news wires. Don’t let a guy on mushrooms in Chicago dictate your reality.
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To stay ahead of misinformation, your next move should be to install a browser extension like "Content Authenticity" or use Google's "About this image" tool. These tools check for metadata and digital watermarks that many AI generators are now required to include, helping you verify if a photo is a genuine capture or a digital hallucination.