Just days before the conclave to elect Pope Francis’s successor is scheduled to commence, US President Donald Trump posted an AI image of himself as the pope, which prompted accusations of poor taste in the Roman Catholic community.
On Friday evening, Trump, who had joked that he would “like to be pope” days earlier, uploaded a digitally altered image of himself donning a white cassock and papal headdress, with his forefinger raised, to his Truth Social platform. This was subsequently reposted by the White House on its official X account.
It occurred less than a week after Trump, who is not a Catholic, attended Francis’s funeral last month. The Vatican continues to observe an official period of mourning for the pontiff.
The image has sparked controversy on social media and elicited criticism, including from cardinals who are in Rome for the conclave next week. However, no one has suggested that it is a significant distraction from the task of selecting the next leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics, and Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni declined to comment on the matter.
The 66-year-old Filipino Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David stated in a Facebook post, “Not funny, Sir.”
Cardinal Dolan, whom Trump has indicated that he favours as the next pope, responded, “Well, it wasn’t good,” when asked whether he was offended by the image.
In the same vein, Father Gerald Murray, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York who was present at the Mass at Cardinal Dolan’s church on Sunday, characterised Trump’s post as “silly, and you should not do that.”
Matteo Renzi, Italy’s former prime minister, condemned the image as offensive to Catholics. He wrote on X, “This is an image that insults institutions, offends believers, and demonstrates that the leader of the right-wing world enjoys clowning around.”
The media in Italy was intrigued by Trump’s post. The president was accused of “pathological megalomania” by the Italian daily La Repubblica, which used the term “infantile.”
CNN enquired about the opinions of numerous American visitors in St. Peter’s Square. Although none of the tourists desired to disclose their identities, their responses varied from “absurd” to “typical.”
“The office of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, an international ally of Trump, declined to provide any commentary on the matter.”
Additionally, Catholic organisations in the United States expressed their opposition to the image. In a post on X, the New York State Catholic Conference, which identifies itself as the representative of bishops in New York, stated, “Mr. President, this image is neither clever nor amusing.”
“Our beloved Pope Francis has recently been laid to rest, and the cardinals are preparing to convene a solemn conclave to select a new successor to St. Peter.” Please refrain from making fun of us.
However, the White House defended Trump as a pro-Catholic figure.
When asked to respond to the criticism, press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, “President Trump flew to Italy to pay his respects for Pope Francis and attend his funeral, and he has been a staunch advocate for religious liberty and Catholics.”
Other members of Trump’s inner circle emphasised that it was a prank.
“I identify as Catholic.” The impending Pope selection has been the subject of jokes among us for the entirety of the week. Jack Posobiec, a far-right activist, wrote on X, “It is known as a sense of humour.”
This is not the first instance in which Trump has incited controversy with AI-generated imagery. He was met with criticism after he uploaded footage that depicted a war-torn Gaza as a resort reminiscent of a Gulf state, complete with a gilded statue of himself.
When correspondents enquired about Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, prior to his Sunday Mass in Rome, he was also critical.
Leave a Reply