While Pope Francis was being treated for double pneumonia, Italian TikToker Ottavo made his way unchallenged into a ward at Gemelli hospital in Rome, followed by a camera. His aim was to bolster a conspiracy theory circulating on social media for weeks: that the 88-year-old pontiff was dead “and the Vatican refuses to tell us”.

“There’s no security at all – nothing whatsoever,” he told his 10,000 followers in the video. “I would never have been able to get this far if he were there. For that reason, in my opinion, Pope Francis passed away.”

But Ottavo had overlooked one detail: the ward he infiltrated was not the one where Francis was being treated.

Since the pontiff was hospitalised last month, the Vatican has been waging a quiet battle against the fake news, conspiracy theorists and AI-generated images circulating on social networks concerning his health – producing regular updates on his health and a voice message from his hospital bed