Catholics denounced an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated image of President Donald Trump dressed as the pope, calling it offensive and disrespectful as they continue to mourn the death of Pope Francis.
Newsweek has reached out to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Holy See Press for comment via email on Saturday.
Why It Matters
Trump’s social media post comes during Novemdiales, the nine-day period of official mourning observed by the Catholic Church following the death of a pope. Daily masses and prayers are being held through May 4 in honor of Francis who died on Easter Monday aged 88.
His funeral on April 26 in St. Peter’s Square brought together heads of state, including Trump, religious leaders from around the world, and the general public. His body was laid to rest in St. Mary Major, one of the four papal basilicas in Rome.
Trump’s post also comes just days after the president, who is not Catholic, jokingly told reporters that he would “like to be pope,” saying “that would be my number one choice.” Trump has also vowed to make American “more religious.”
What To Know
On Friday evening, Trump posted an AI-photo of himself in a white cassock and a Mitre hat with a large gold cross around his neck. The White House’s official X, formerly Twitter, account republished the photo on Saturday.
The post reportedly was the topic of several questions during the Vatican’s daily conclave briefing on Saturday, with local outlets calling it offensive, according to the Associated Press.
Former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, now a senator for Florence, criticized the image in a post on X, formerly Twitter, writing that it “offends believers, insults institutions and shows that the leader of the right-wing world enjoys clowning around.”
New York State’s Catholic Conference also condemned Trump’s post, calling it offensive and mocking.
“There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President,” the group wrote in an X post. “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.”
The Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, has been tapped by Trump to serve on a newly created presidential commission on religious liberty. Newsweek has reached filed out an online contact request for Dolan on Saturday.
AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino
American Jesuit priest and writer James Martin said he found the image “deeply offensive” in an X post, writing: “Jesuits are always supposed to give people the benefit of the doubt. So even though I find this deeply offensive, I will presume that Mr. Trump meant this light-heartedly (even though he had just recently returned from Pope Francis’s Funeral Mass, and he has a Catholic Vice President who met with Francis the day before his death).”
Martin added: “But imagine the incandescent outrage, the swift condemnation, and the individual and joint protests from the US bishops if this had been done by Joe Biden or Barack Obama.”
Trump ally, Senator Lindsey Graham, who is not a Catholic but a Southern Baptist, praised the photo, writing “seeing is believing! A picture is worth a thousand words…”
A Pew Research Center survey conducted April 7–13 during Trump’s first 100 days in office found Catholic opinion divided on his performance. Among 367 Catholic adults polled, 38 percent said he was doing an excellent or good job, 17 percent said fair, and 43 percent said poor. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 5.5 percentage points.
The same survey found that 72 percent of white evangelical Protestants approved of Trump’s job performance.
The president’s post also led to a slew of memes and jokes on the matter.
What People Are Saying
White House Secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Associated Press when asked about the criticism: “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.”
Michael Steele, a Roman Catholic, former chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) and Trump critic who now is a MSNBC host, wrote in an X post Saturday: “During this period of Novemdiales (mourning the loss of Pope Francis) I’ll set this offense aside because Trump in his narcissism gets off on our being offended. More to the point, this affirms how unserious and incapable he is. At 78 he remains a 10yo child, emotionally scarred and broken while desperate to prove he could be somebody. His problem: he can’t grow up to prove it.”
Senator Lindsey Graham posted to X on Saturday: “Glad to report there is very positive reception and strong momentum for President Trump to be the next Pope. But I will be first to admit there has been some resistance! Must keep your head down and plow forward — can’t let the naysayers win the day. Next week is crucial as the papal conclave convenes…. More updates to come!”
“Republicans Against Trump,” a group of GOP supporters who don’t back the president, wrote in an X post Saturday: “More than a billion Catholics are still mourning the Pope’s death, but Trump and his allies think it’s the perfect time to mock their faith. Absolutely despicable.”
What Happens Next?
Francis’ successor is due to be selected by members of the College of Cardinals during a papal conclave that is due to begin on May 7 at the Vatican.