Claim:
Pope Leo XIV once said: "To all who sent prayers, love, and hope as I begin this sacred journey — thank you. I accept this role not as a throne, but as a vow: To serve the forgotten, To uplift the broken, To speak plainly where others stay silent. To be called 'woke' in a world that sleeps through suffering is no insult — it is Gospel. Woke means awakened by compassion. Guided by truth. Humbled by grace. Committed to justice — not just for some, but for all. So let them mock. Let them sneer. We will still build the Kingdom — not with walls, but with love. Be awake. Be loving. Be woke.
Rating:
Incorrect Attribution (About this rating?)
Days after Pope Leo XIV's election on May 8, 2025, social media users began sharing a meme claiming the new pontiff had delivered a message embracing the concept of being "woke." The image showed the new pope, born Robert Prevost, standing on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica with one hand raised in blessing next to a block of text.
One Facebook post (archived) featuring the meme had amassed more than 2,200 reactions and 1,400 shares as of this writing.
(Facebook user John Cross)
The alleged quote attributed to Leo read:
To all who sent prayers, love, and hope as I begin this sacred journey — thank you.
I accept this role not as a throne, but as a vow:
To serve the forgotten,
To uplift the broken,
To speak plainly where others stay silent.
To be called "woke" in a world that sleeps through suffering is no insult — it is Gospel.
Woke means awakened by compassion.
Guided by truth.
Humbled by grace.
Committed to justice — not just for some, but for all.
So let them mock.
Let them sneer.
We will still build the Kingdom — not with walls, but with love. Be awake. Be loving. Be woke.
— Pope Leo XIV
The meme also appeared on X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook, TikTok and Tumblr, and numerous Snopes readers contacted us to ask whether it was authentic.
Some social media users shared just a portion of the quote, including the line, "To be called 'woke' in a world that sleeps through suffering is no insult," with one X post (archived) reaching over 1.2 million views.
In short, there was no evidence that Pope Leo XIV ever made this statement or gave any speech resembling it. In fact, the quote shared on social media shortly after his election was fabricated.
Google searches using combinations of terms such as "Pope Leo XIV," "Robert Prevost," "woke," or "Woke means awakened by compassion," yielded no relevant results from credible sources. The quote also did not appear on the Vatican's official press websites or in any public remarks attributed to the pope by reputable news organizations. Furthermore, the original poster of the meme featuring the quote later admitted that it was "made up." Therefore, we have rated the passage as incorrectly attributed to the new pontiff.
Snopes contacted the Holy See Press Office for comment and will update this article if we receive a response.
The earliest known version that appeared online was shared by Threads user @atheistadamx on May 8, 2025. In a follow-up comment, the user stated that the quote was fabricated, writing: "The fact that so many of you wanted this to be true shows how far Catholicism is from real progress. Yes, I made up these words, with the help of my AI friend."
(Threads user @atheistadamx)
The "imgflip.com" watermark in the bottom left corner of the meme indicated that it was created using a meme template generator.
(Threads user @jillsey11/Snopes Illustration)
As of this writing, however, that specific template did not appear in the public Imgflip Meme Generator gallery, suggesting the photograph may have been uploaded directly by the Threads user.
(www.imgflip.com)
A search for the term "woke" on the pope's old X account also produced no evidence that he posted the fake quote there.
In early May 2025, the fact-checking organization Lead Stories likewise debunked the fake quote.
Another fabricated quote attributed to Pope Leo XIV also circulated on social media in the same meme format around the same time. It read: "To be woke is not a threat. It is a calling."
Similarly, a Google search produced no evidence that the pope ever made this separate statement, nor did it appear in any official Vatican communication or coverage from reputable news outlets.
That meme also originated from the same Threads account and was first posted on May 8, 2025. In the comments, the user clarified: "I know he isn't woke. I made the quote. It is not what he has said — and it is not what he would say."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/pope-leo-xiv-never-encouraged-people-to-be-woke/ar-AA1EPWwj
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