A major Catholic group blasted Donald Trump for sharing an AI-generated image of himself dressed as the pope. The New York State Catholic Conference slammed the US president on X, accusing him of “mocking” them.
“There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President,” the NYS Catholic Conference wrote on X, reposting the White House’s post where it shared the image. “We just buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St. Peter. Do not mock us.”
According to the group’s website, “The New York State Catholic Conference represents the Bishops of the state in working with government to shape laws and policies that pursue social justice, respect for life and the common good. We provide a unified voice for the eight dioceses of the state to speak on such issues as education, poverty, family life, abortion, assisted suicide and euthanasia, social services, health care, criminal justice and the environment. We apply the principles of Catholic social teaching to critical issues of the day and encourage citizen involvement in the legislative process.”
‘Making a complete mockery of the pious’
The image was jokingly shared on Trump’s Truth Social and also on the White House’s X account. However, it offended many, with netizens slamming the move in the comment section of the White House’s X post.
“Please MAGA, explain to me how this “man of faith” isn’t making a complete mockery of the pious. And the shame associated with the FUC**** WHITE HOUSE account re-tweeting this is just beyond the pale,” a user wrote in the comment section of the above post. “You got mad a man didn’t wear a suit to speak to you but you’re ok mocking the head of an entire religion less than two weeks after he died?” one user wrote, referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wearing a military-style attire during his meeting with Trump and JD Vance at the Oval Office. Another user echoed the thought, saying, “And you folk got upset that Zelenskyy didn’t wear a suit in the White House?”
“Are you aware this is very disrespectful for Catholics, right?” one user wrote, while another said, “This is worse than trolling. You’re going to lose a lot of Catholic support over stunts like this.” “Why did the White House tweet this?” one user questioned.
Trump shared the image after saying he would be happy to be the next pope. Shortly after attending Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome, the president was asked about his thoughts on who should be leading the Catholic Church now. “I’d like to be Pope. That would be my number one choice,” Trump replied.
