President Donald Trump has drawn the ire of people all over the world, including clergy, Catholics and Italians, after he shared an AI- generated image of himself as a Pope, ahead of a conclave to select late Pope Francis’ successor, reported Associated Press.
On Friday, Trump posted an a picture of him dressed as the Pope on his Truth Social account, which the White House also reposted later on X, causing a stir on social media as the official mourning period for Pope Francis continues after his death on April 21.
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The image shows Trump in a white cassock, a bishop’s hat and as per Associated Press became the topic of discussion in the Vatican’s conclave briefing on Saturday as well.
The death of the Pope was a blow, not only to the Catholic church and its followers, but also for people who held Francis in high esteem for his ideals. Even non-religious Italians regard the Pope with great respect.
Italian and Spanish news reports slammed the post for its poor taste and said it was offensive, in light of Pope Francis’ death.
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Former Premier of Italy, Matteo Renzi criticised Trump’s move on X, “This is an image that offends believers, insults institutions and shows that the leader of the right-wing world enjoys clowning around. Meanwhile, the US economy risks recession and the dollar loses value. The sovereignists are doing damage, everywhere.”
Vatican spokesperson, Matteo Bruni, declined to comment on the matter.
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Italy’s left-leaning publication, La Repubblica, also featured the image on its website on Saturday with a commentary accusing Trump of “pathological megalomania.”
White House responds to flak
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked to respond to the criticism and said, as quoted by AP, “President Trump flew to Italy to pay his respects for Pope Francis and attend his funeral, and he has been a staunch champion for Catholics and religious liberty.”
However, backlash has also come from Catholic organisations in the US. The New York State Catholic Conference, which represents bishops of the state who work with the government, accused Trump of mockery.
In a post on X, they said, “There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President. 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.”
Trump’s controversial AI image as Pope comes after he joked last week about the vacant post, “I’d like to be pope. That would be my number one choice.” Notably, Trump himself is not a Catholic.
