Macron and the papal election: diplomacy or pressure? Let's examine the facts

May 3, 2025, a material with the headline “Macron interferes in the election of the new Pope!” appeared on the YouTube channel CTVBY

On May 3, 2025, a material with the headline “Macron interferes in the election of the new Pope!” appeared on the YouTube channel CTVBY. This video gathered more than 500 thousand views in two weeks. The content of the video was as follows:

But already last weekend, the President of France arrived in the Vatican. And, apparently, not without a reason. The Italian press immediately caused a stir, asking the reasonable question whether this was a pious pilgrimage or an attempt to push the conclave toward the desired decision. Italian journalists, not mincing words, dubbed Macron’s visit as an “Intervention of the modern Sun King.” Thus, the meetings of the head of the Fifth Republic at the French Embassy with local cardinals, as well as a meal in the company of an influential representative of the Catholic world, all this suspiciously resembles preparation for organizing one’s own. However, the chances of placing a French protégé on the papal throne are slim. Local cardinals hardly know Italian and do not have the experience so necessary for a potential pope.

Our verdict based on the analyses conducted:

Verdict: Incorrect

Reasons:

• The thesis or statement is completely false: information from multiple sources or opinions of several experts in the specific field contradict it.
• Cause-and-effect relationships and connections clearly do not exist as claimed.
• When quoting, substantial parts are omitted, rearranged, changed, or incorrectly translated from a foreign language, resulting in a fundamental change in the meaning of what was said.
• The event occurred substantially differently than claimed.

Fact-checking rating scale

Full video:

Fact-checking: Verification of claims

1. Macron’s visit to the Vatican
French President Emmanuel Macron did indeed visit the Vatican in April 2025 to participate in the funeral of Pope Francis. During his visit, he met with four French cardinals, including the Archbishop of Marseille Jean-Marc Aveline, as well as with Andrea Riccardi, founder of the Community of Sant’Egidio.

2. Accusations of attempting to influence the conclave
Some Italian media, especially of a conservative nature, expressed concern that Macron’s meetings could be an attempt to influence the election of a new Pope in favor of a French candidate. However, French officials rejected these accusations, calling them “fake news”.

3. Reaction of the Vatican and other sources
The Vatican did not make official statements confirming or denying Macron’s interference. Some sources close to the Vatican noted that such meetings are common diplomatic practice and do not indicate an attempt to interfere.

Analysis by FIMI/DIMI criteria

1. FIMI 1.1 — Emotional vocabulary and appeal to feelings
The use of expressions such as “intervention of the modern Sun King” is aimed at evoking an emotional reaction from the audience and may be a sign of manipulation.

2. FIMI 2.2 — Accusations without evidence
The claims about Macron’s interference are based on assumptions and are not supported by concrete evidence, which corresponds to signs of information manipulation.

3. FIMI 3.1 — Lack of reliable sources
The text lacks references to official reports or statements, which reduces its credibility and may indicate an attempt at manipulation.

4. DIMI — Internal information interference
Given that the information is distributed through certain media, it can be assumed that it is aimed at forming a certain perception among the internal audience, which corresponds to signs of internal information interference.

Let’s analyze the disinformation narratives and perform a semantic analysis.