Trump as Pope: The Catholic world reacts to the scandalous photo of the US President
Kyiv • UNN
Donald Trump published an AI-generated image of himself dressed as the Pope, against the backdrop of mourning for Francis. This has drawn criticism in Italy and among Catholic bishops.
President Donald Trump posted an artificial intelligence-generated image of himself dressed as the Pope, against the backdrop of mourning for Pope Francis and days before the start of the conclave to elect his successor.
Trump's actions drew rebuke from a group representing Catholic bishops in New York and among Italians, UNN writes with reference to CNN.
Details
The image, shared Friday evening on Trump's Truth Social website and later posted by the White House on his official X account, has caused consternation on social media and in the Vatican, which is still in a period of nine days of official mourning after Francis' death on April 21.
Catholic cardinals hold Masses daily in his memory and are scheduled to open a conclave to elect his successor on Wednesday. The death of the Pope and the election of another is an extremely solemn affair for Catholics, for whom the Pope is the vicar of Christ on Earth. This is especially true in Italy, where the papacy is highly revered even by non-religious Italians.
The image of Trump in a white cassock and pointed mitre, or bishop's hat, was the subject of several questions during the daily Vatican conclave briefing on Saturday.
Italian and Spanish media have expressed regret over Trump's actions and called them offensive, given that the period of official mourning is still ongoing. Former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi called the image disgraceful.
This image offends believers, offends institutions, and shows that the leader of the right-wing world is enjoying buffoonery. Meanwhile, the US economy is at risk of recession and the dollar is losing value. Sovereigns are doing harm everywhere
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni declined to comment. In the United States, the Catholic Conference of New York State, which represents the state's bishops in cooperation with the government, accused Trump of mocking.
There is nothing intelligent or funny about this image, Mr. President. We have just buried our beloved Pope Francis, and the cardinals are about to begin a solemn conclave to elect a new successor to St. Peter. Do not mock us
The Italian left-wing La Repubblica also published the image on its front page on Saturday with a commentary accusing Trump of "pathological megalomania."
Trump team reaction
Asked to respond to criticism, White House spokeswoman Carolina Levitt said that "President Trump flew to Italy to pay tribute to Pope Francis and attend his funeral, and he has been a staunch advocate for Catholics and religious freedom."
Known far-right influencer and Trump ally Jack Posobiec, who recently participated in a Catholic prayer in March at Trump's resort in Florida, also defended the president.
Cardinal predicts short conclave to elect Pope03.05.25, 09:22 • 16287 views
I'm Catholic. We've all been joking about the upcoming election of the Pope all week. It's called a sense of humor
Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump, added:
I was pleased to hear that President Trump is open to the idea of becoming the next Pope. It would truly be a dark horse candidate, but I would ask the papal conclave and Catholic faithful to be impartial to this possibility!
Vice President Jay Dee Vance, a Catholic who was one of the last foreign officials to meet with Francis before the Pope's death, also joked that Secretary of State Marco Rubio could become Pope, suggesting that Rubio could add him to the long list of titles he holds, including National Security Advisor and Acting Archivist.
Supplement
Conservative Catholics insist that the next Pope lean more toward a traditionalist worldview. Previously, conservatives were outraged by Francis' more conciliatory stance on same-sex unions and divorces, the protection of migrants, and the Vatican's agreement with China, which gave Beijing the right to approve bishops.
