AI POPE
In March, a photo of Pope Francis wearing a particularly cool and funky puffer coat went viral on social media after appearing without comment in a tweet by a user named Leon (@skyferrori), garnering the Pontiff much admiration for his style choices. This was swiftly followed up by a disclaimer pointing out that the image is not a real one and had, in fact, been generated by the AI image synthesis programme Midjourney v5. Close inspection reveals the fingerprints of an image AI in the strange crucifix the Pope is wearing, the poorly executed right hand and the shadow of his glasses, but the image is a testament to the increasing sophistication of such systems. arstechnica.com, 27 Mar 2023.
BVM BLEEDS DONORS?
For over five years a statue of the BlessedVirgin Mary (BVM) at Trevignano near Rome in Italy has been apparently weeping tears of blood on the third of every month. Thewas communicating messages to her. To accommodate the hundreds of pilgrims who turned up for the miracle, many hoping for healing from serious illnesses, Scarpulla, known to her followers as Gisella Cardia, placed the statue in a glass case overlooking nearby Lake Bracciano. This was built on land reportedly purchased by a foundation Scarpulla had set up to collect donations and sell replica statues, which she said would also fund a centre for sick children. The statue had relatively little publicity until March, when an unknown person erected a billboard promoting the BVM. For some reason this was in Milan, which is over 600km (373 miles) away from Trevignano. It featured the statue of the BVM, with a crucifix in the background, and the words “I shall wipe your tears” and “Madonna of Trevignano Romano (RM)” which also appear on the foundation’s website.
