There is no Conclave without intrigue, and these are the days of the crows. In the ritual for the election of the new pope, shrouded in a mystique that goes against the current times marked by a news overload, those spreading news to discredit the papal contenders are in full swing. The victim this time was the number one favorite, Cardinal Pietro Parolin from Veneto.

Parolin and the Health Scare

In particular, rumors spread by the American site CatholicVote.org caused a stir, claiming that Parolin had a health scare during one of the congregations. This false news was promptly denied by Matteo Bruni, the director of the Vatican Press Office: “No, it’s not true,” he declared in a briefing with journalists, categorically excluding the need for medical or nursing staff.

The Anti-Bergoglio Fake News

This incident closely resembles what happened in 2013 when Jorge Mario Bergoglio was also subject to rumors about his health status, in an obvious attempt to discredit him on the eve of the Conclave. At that time, there was a focus on the true but non-limiting fact that he had part of his upper lung lobe removed when he was young. However, this did not stop him from becoming Pope and carrying out his ministry vigorously.

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The Cardinals and Social Media

The attempt to undermine Parolin through false news tactics seems to follow the same script today. Yet, despite these underground maneuvers, the cardinal continues to play a central role in the Church landscape. In the latest social media monitoring by ArcadiaCom (April 21 – May 1, 2025), Parolin emerged as the most influential cardinal on X (formerly Twitter), with an impressive 294,100 interactions. This is remarkable considering he doesn’t even have an official account but enjoys a highly active indirect presence.

Following closely is Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, who led the rankings in the previous report, with 288,500 interactions. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi also shows significant growth, reaching 165,600 interactions. Among other prominent names are Peter Turkson (93,000), Fridolin Ambongo Besungu (52,700), and Peter Erdö (40,200). On the official communication front, American Cardinal Timothy Dolan stands out with a large following of over 416,000 on Facebook and 288,000 on X, despite having a lower interaction level (18,000).

The increasing interest in potential successors to Pope Francis is also reflected in the proliferation of unofficial accounts, often used to support – or undermine – the most exposed candidates. In this heated atmosphere, the voices against Parolin seem to be the first sign of a Conclave that is far from devoid of tensions and power games.