ITV Wrongly Announce The Pope's Death In Awkward Christmas Day Blunder

An ITV newsreader accidentally announced that the Pope had died on live TV, despite him being alive and well.

It began as a report about the Pope's Christmas address and turned into a piece of shocking news after presenter Kylie Pentelow said that he'd passed away.

She was telling ITV viewers how the leader used his status to encourage other world leaders to make Covid vaccines available 'to those most in need' before saying: "His death was announced..."

Then she realised her mistake and added: "Erm... excuse me," before the segment ended.

As the camera went back to the newsreader in the ITV studio, she could be seen looking down at pieces of paper on the desk in front of her before continuing.

Of course when anything goes remotely wrong on live TV, people took to Twitter to laugh about what had happened.

One said: "ITV just accidentally reported on the death of Pope Francis (he’s not in fact dead)? They got ahead of the narrative."

Another asked: "Am I delirious or did ITV News just say something about ‘his death’ when talking about the Pope?" Too many pigs in blankets.

A third commented: "ITV News nearly, yes very nearly casually announced the Pope was dead … huge mishap in the script it seems."

Someone else joked about the newsreader's conversation with her family once she got home, saying: "How was work? 'Accidentally announced the death of The Pope on national TV'."

LADbible has contacted ITV for a comment.

So, more about Pope Francis. He prayed for an end to the pandemic using his festive address to urge healthcare for all, vaccines for the poor and for dialogue to prevail in resolving the world’s conflicts.

He said: "Son of God, comfort the victims of violence against women, which has increased in this time of pandemic. Offer hope to young children and adolescents suffering from bullying and abuse."

He prayed for 'consolation and warmth' for older adults who are alone, as well as for healthcare workers who 'generously devote themselves' to caring for the sick.

He continued: “Grant health to the infirm and inspire all men and women of good will to seek the best ways possible to overcome the current health crisis and its effects.

“Open hearts to ensure that necessary medical care – and vaccines in particular – are provided to those peoples who need them most.”

Featured Image Credit: Alamy

Topics: News, ITV, TV and Film

Rebecca Shepherd

I'm Becky - a journalist at LADbible. I graduated with a First Class BA in Journalism before going on to cover criminal court cases, medical tribunals and breaking news for the national media. Can often be found rocking a bag for life - which I made a thing long before Rihanna. You can contact me at [email protected]

@RJShepherd94