This isn't the Pope's "flavor" of shocking. I scrolled right past the OP to see if someone had already determined this was fake.
It was completely believable. …
Nothing Pope "There is no Catholic God" Francis says -- alleged or otherwise -- can shock me, really.
I side with Matthew's better half rather than with Matthew himself. Humble Frank is a villain and frequently little more than a jerk, but he's not a fool. Indeed, my hunch is that his success at climbing the clerical career ladder has been to some degree the product of his ability to play those around him for fools.
Yes, he shoots his mouth off a lot. Big deal. He's been very successful at getting his actions (often carefully planned and managed actions) largely ignored whilst children of all ages listen to his silly blather and revel in his street theater and publicity stunts.
When the time truly comes for a chip-implant diversion, it will be one of the clowns on Frank's staff who handles it.