Trump accused of ‘mocking’ Catholics after posting symbol of himself as pope

Donald Trump has been accused of mocking the election of a brand new chief of the Catholic church after posting a synthetic intelligence-generated image of himself because the pope on social media.

The symbol, shared on Friday evening on Trump’s Truth Social web page and the White House’s reputable X account, raised eyebrows on the Vatican, which remains to be within the duration of 9 days of reputable mourning after Pope Francis’s funeral on 26 April.

Featuring Trump in a white cassock, a gold crucifix pendant and mitre, or bishop’s hat, and along with his index finger pointed against the sky, the picture used to be the subject of a number of questions right through the Vatican’s day-to-day conclave briefing on Saturday.

It got here as cardinals from world wide collected in Rome ahead of the conclave, the name of the game election procedure to select a brand new chief of the 1.4-billion-strong Catholic church, and simply days after Trump joked he would “like to be pope”.

The former Italian top minister Matteo Renzi stated the picture used to be shameful. “This is an image that offends believers, insults institutions and shows that the leader of the rightwing world enjoys clowning around,” he wrote on X.

In the USA, the New York State Catholic Conference, which represents the bishops of the state, accused Trump of mockery.

“There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President,” they wrote. “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.”

Italian and Spanish information experiences lamented its deficient style and stated it used to be offensive, for the reason that the duration of reputable mourning used to be nonetheless below approach. Italy’s left-leaning l. a. Repubblica additionally featured the picture on its homepage Saturday with a observation accusing Trump of “pathological megalomania”.

Asked to answer the complaint, the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, stated Trump had “been a staunch champion for Catholics and religious liberty”.

Trump, who isn’t a Catholic and does no longer attend church frequently, attended the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome 8 days in the past.

The Republican senator Lindsey Graham, an in depth Trump best friend, piled on what the New York Catholic leaders had branded mockery.

“I was excited to hear that President Trump is open to the idea of being the next Pope. This would truly be a dark horse candidate, but I would ask the papal conclave and Catholic faithful to keep an open mind about this possibility!” he wrote on X. “The first Pope-U.S. President combination has many upsides. Watching for white smoke …. Trump MMXXVIII!”

Jack Posobiec, a outstanding far-right influencer and Trump best friend who lately participated in a Catholic prayer match in March at Trump’s Florida hotel, additionally defended the president.

“I’m Catholic. We’ve all been making jokes about the upcoming Pope selection all week. It’s called a sense of humour,” he wrote on X.