Newsweek Mysteriously Publishes Pope Leo Article in 2018
When Newsweek bravely published 'Pope Leo Warns Trump Not To Launch War Against Venezuela's Maduro' on September 2nd, 2018, one might wonder if their editorial team had access to a Vatican time machine. Pope Leo XIII, who issued numerous encyclicals on social justice and modern capitalism, was a prominent global figure—in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, per historical records. He left this
mortal coil in 1903. Trump, meanwhile, didn't ascend to the presidency until 2017. The article makes no mention of this apparent chronological paradox. While Newsweek eventually corrected the article to clarify it was Pope Francis, their initial 'error' highlights a recurring media tendency: rushing to print sensational headlines, and perhaps, a casual disregard for historical accuracy or even
basic fact-checking. One might wonder if their fact-checkers were too busy deciphering arcane prophecies to notice a 115-year discrepancy. How else does a 19th-century Pontiff end up warning a 21st-century US President about a 21st-century South American leader?