Question

An inverted cross near Pope Francis’ coffin is a satanic symbol.

Answer 1

This claim was posted on reddit and the image contains a Newsmax logo and it was posted on truth social. None of those sites are credible news sources. They are public forums where many conspiracy theories are posted and not fact checked. When I googled this claim about the cross, I found a Reuters fact check article that sheds light on this claim. This article does say that some people consider the upside down cross to be a satanic symbol. However, it doesn't specify who those people are. It then reports that the upside down crucifix is a symbol of Saint Peter. He was crucified and wanted to be crucified upside down because he didn't think he was worthy of being crucified the same way as Jesus. Since this image was at the St. Peter's Basilica it's more likely that the upside down cross represents St. Peter and not Satan.

https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/inverted-cross-near-pope-francis-coffin-was-catholic-symbol-not-satanic-one-2025-05-05/

Comments

Great answer! The source you linked was perfect, as it provided even more sources for certain topics regarding the reasoning for this claim.

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This is a great fact check—clear, well-researched, and super reasonable. You did a solid job calling out unreliable sources and backing up your explanation with a credible Reuters article. I really liked how you clarified the actual meaning behind the symbol without jumping to conclusions. Well done!

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Very strong response because just reading the claim, it sounded ridiculous. I like how you mentioned the sources you found and which ones you believed to be trustworthy. The article helped to clear up the reasoning for this and explain why others might have believed otherwise.

Answer 2

Not only is this blatantly false, but even in the comments of the Reddit post posing as a source for your claim, the Reddit users explain that this is false.

Firstly, the upside down cross is not a satanic symbol. Though it has been adopted by some satanic groups, the roots of the upside down cross (known as the petrine cross) are deeply religious because it comes from the death of St. Peter, one of Jesus' disciples, who thought himself unworthy to be crucified as Jesus was, and so was crucified upside down.

The reason this symbol was near Pope Francis' casket (not a coffin, coffins have 6 sides, caskets have 4) is because the Catholic church considers St. Peter to have been the first pope, and as a result, this symbol pays homage to him within the basilica

https://www.revshirleymurphy.co.uk/post/st-peter-s-cross

https://www.catholic.com/tract/origins-of-peter-as-pope

https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/inverted-cross-near-pope-francis-coffin-was-catholic-symbol-not-satanic-one-2025-05-05/#:~:text=In%20the%20context%20of%20the,the%20Reuters%20Fact%20Check%20team.

Comments

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your fact check because it was clear and concise. You really made an effort to make sure that all the facts were correct so that no misinformation was spread. Misinformation is really easy to spread, especially on sites like Reddit. You made sure to get reputable sources that made everything check out and I appreciate that.

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The information on St. Peter's cross and the coffin/casket differences are insightful and incredibly necessary for the subject at hand. I think that this fact-check is fantastic. Well done!