DISINFO: Pope Francis congratulated Putin on his re-election
SUMMARY
Pope Francis has congratulated Vladimir Putin on the latter's re-election as President of the Russian Federation.
RESPONSE
The claim advances a broader pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative seeking to legitimise Russia's most recent sham presidential election, orchestrated to extend Vladimir Putin's rule as head of state.
The press service of the Holy See denied the claim in a comment to the fact-checking website POLYGRAPH.info. The false report continued to feature on the main website of RIA Novosti, Russia's leading state-owned media organisation.
See here for further debunking by POLYGRAPH.info.