Pope Francis died on April 2025, leaving his followers in mourning. After his demise, news about Pope Francis’ dog not leaving his side made the headlines. His followers have been eager to know about the claim ever since. Find out the answer here.
Did Pope Francis have a dog that wouldn’t leave his side after he died?
No, Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State, did not have a dog that wouldn’t leave his side after he died.
Soon after the demise of the first Jesuit and Latin American pope, various videos alleging a close bond between late Pope Francis and his pet dog named Esteban or Tiberio started doing the rounds on the Internet. There was even a video that alleged that the Pope’s last request was to see his pet pooch.
Despite all the claims, the late Pope Francis had no pet dog named Esteban or Tiberio. The videos are false. Reportedly, all the videos were generated through artificial intelligence, including voice-over, videos, and photographs. None of them is real.
One of the videos, named “Even Death Couldn’t Separate Them: Pope Francis and His Loyal Dog,” did claim that “Not many people knew that Pope Francis had a dog. There were no photos of him in papal portraits, no public appearances, and not a single mention in official Vatican biographies. To the world, he didn’t exist. But to the man once known as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Estabbon was as real and as present as breath itself.”
However, the channel, “The day God chooses,” which made the claim labeled the video as “altered or synthetic content,” meaning “sound or visuals were significantly edited or digitally generated.”
There is no official statement yet by the Vatican supporting that the late Pope Francis had a dog. However, Pope had been photographed petting dogs on various occasions. But he is not thought to have a pet dog.
But in 2022 Pope Francis did comment on pet ownership. He suggested that people who choose pets over kids are being selfish. As per BBC, the Pope said, “We see that some people do not want to have a child … Sometimes they have one, and that’s it, but they have dogs and cats that take the place of children. This may make people laugh, but it is a reality … [it] is a denial of fatherhood and motherhood and diminishes us, takes away our humanity.”
As per the Vatican News, the late Pope said his last words to Massimiliano Strappetti, a nurse he appointed as his healthcare assistant in 2022. As per the outlet, Pope Francis said, “Thank you for bringing me back to the Square,” to his nurse.
The Holy Father thanked the nurse after he surprised his supporters with a ride in the popemobile. It was Pope Francis’ first outing since the hospitalization, after the blessing on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica façade.
After the outing, the Pope rested, followed by a quiet dinner. But around 5:30 a.m. on April 21, the Holy Father began experiencing the first signs of illness, as per the Vatican.
An hour later, Pope Francis made a “gesture of farewell with his hand to Mr. Strappetti” while lying in bed at the Casa Santa Marta. He then fell into a coma. Pope Francis passed away the day after Easter Sunday at the age of 88 after battling various ailments.
The Argentine pontiff had earlier spent nearly 38 days in treament for double pneumonia at Rome’s Gemelli hospital. Sadly, the pontiff died of a stroke and irreversible heart failure, the Vatican doctor Andrea Arcangeli said in a death certificate. The pope’s funeral was on April 26, 2025.
