Overview
- On Thursday, November 12, Vatican channels posted a line saying Argentina “had two Popes” that León XIV had chosen not to read during a Mass at the Basílica de Luján.
- The phrase appeared on Vatican News and on the Pope’s official X and Instagram accounts and was taken down minutes later when the difference between the circulated text and the live speech was noticed.
- The Holy See’s communications office said the removal resulted from a coordination error: staff published the pre-prepared speech without checking the last-minute edits the Pope made before delivering it.
- The wording touched a sensitive institutional question that dates to Benedict XVI’s 2013 resignation and his title of pope emérito, a circumstance the Vatican treats with particular care.
- The episode exposed gaps in how live speech changes are verified for official outlets and could prompt closer editorial checks or internal reviews of Vatican News and the papal social accounts.