YouTube shut down a channel that uploaded fake “sermons of Leo XIV”
“We have closed this channel due to violations of our policies regarding spam, deceptive practices, and fraud,” said Jak Malone, YouTube spokesperson, in a comment to Aleteia, reports CREDO.
As of Wednesday, May 21, the YouTube channel titled “Sermons of Pope Leo XIV” had 26 fake videos, nearly 18,000 subscribers, and almost a million views before it was removed.
All of the videos were generated by artificial intelligence. In reality, Pope Leo XIV never spoke the words attributed to him; he did not record any of the videos, although some were based on his actual speeches and sermons to simulate his voice.
According to a YouTube spokesperson, all other channels operated by the owner of the “Sermons of Pope Leo XIV” channel have also been closed, though their names have not been publicly disclosed.
Despite the fact that each video included a YouTube warning about the use of artificial intelligence, indicating that the sound or visuals had been heavily edited or digitally generated, comments on various videos reveal that many viewers did not recognize that these “sermons” were fake.
One commentator wrote, "Wow! Our Holy Father speaks a powerful and complex truth! God bless him! Thank you, Lord, for Pope Leo XIV!" Another comment read, "Thank you for the homily that everyone should hear if we want to be true followers of our Lord. I have not heard such a sermon in a very long time. God bless our Pope. Amen."
The video titled “URGENT APPEAL OF THE POPE TO ALL TRUE CHRISTIANS || SPEECH OF POPE LEO XIV” received the highest number of views on the channel, with almost 330,000 views since its upload on May 13.
Earlier, another fake video featuring an AI-generated "Pope" was reported on the Pan-African Dreams channel, in which the "Pope" allegedly praised Burkina Faso's leader, Ibrahim Traoré. As of Thursday, this video has not been removed from YouTube.
