A hat-shaped symbol used as part of a Roman Catholic cardinal’s coat of arms has been misrepresented online as a UFO symbol to question whether the Vatican is ruled by aliens.
A coat of arms of a cardinal, the pope’s highest advisors, includes the red galero, a wide-brimmed hat, with long tassels on either side. Photos of these in two cardinals’ coats of arms in the 16th century can be seen on Getty Images (here) and (here)
In photographs of these coats of arms, the red galero is visibly in the shape of a hat, not a UFO symbol.
Yet online posts sharing an image of the coat of arms ask, “Is the Vatican ruled by aliens?” (here) and (here).
While galeros are present on all cardinals’ coat of arms, cardinals have not worn them on their heads since 1969, when as part of the Second Vatican Council, which aimed to modernize the Catholic Church Pope Paul VI abolished their use (see “First Part” letter A, number 9) (here).
Instead, a smaller red hat called a biretta is now given to newly installed cardinals, Father Richard Kunst, a priest who collects papal artifacts, explains on his webpage.
The Holy See, the central administration of the Roman Catholic Church, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
VERDICT
Misleading. The posts share a photo of a cardinal’s coat of arms, not a UFO symbol at the Vatican.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our work to fact-check social media posts.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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