AP
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President Donald Trump published an image generated by artificial intelligence of himself dressed as a potato while the duel continues for the death of Francisco and a few days after the start of the conclave to choose his successor. Trump’s action caused criticism of a group that represents the Catholic bishops of New York and among the Italians.
The image, shared this Friday night at the Trump Social Truth site and then republiced by the White House in its official X account, generated surprise on social networks and the Vatican, which is still in the period of nine days of official mourning after Francisco’s death on April 21. Catholic cardinals have been celebrating daily masses in their memory and must open the conclave to choose their successor this Wednesday.
The death of a Pope and the choice of another is a matter of sum solemnity for Catholics, for whom the pontiff is the vicar of Christ on earth. This is even more true in Italy, where the papacy enjoys great esteem even among non -religious Italians.
Trump’s image with Puntiaguda Mitra, or Birrete, was the subject of several questions during the daily information session of the Vatican conclave this Saturday. The Italian and Spanish press lamented their bad taste and described it as an offensive, since official mourning still continues.
Former leftist prime minister Matteo Renzi described the image as shameful. “This image offends believers, insults institutions and shows that the leader of the world right enjoys clowning,” Renzi wrote in X. “Meanwhile, the US economy runs the risk of recession and the dollar depreciates. Sovereigns are wreaking havoc everywhere.”
The Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, declined to comment.
In the United States, the Catholic Conference of the state of New York, which represents the bishops of the State in their collaboration with the government, accused Trump of Moche.
“There is nothing ingenious or funny in this image, Mr. President,” they wrote. “We just built our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to choose the new successor of St. Peter. Do not make fun of us.”
The Italian leftist newspaper La Repubblica also published the image on its home page on Saturday with a comment that accused Trump of “pathological megalomania.”
When asked to respond to criticism, the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said that “President Trump flew to Italy to present his respect for Pope Francis and attend his funeral, and has been a firm defender of Catholics and religious freedom.”
Jack Posobiec, an outstanding influencer of the extreme right and ally of Trump who recently participated in a Catholic prayer event in March at Trump’s resort in Florida, also defended the president.
“I am Catholic. We have all been joking about the next election of the Pope all week. It’s called a sense of humor,” he wrote in X.
The episode occurs after Trump joked last week about his interest in the vacancy. “I would like to be Pope. That would be my first option,” the president, who has married three times and is not Catholic, told the press.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump, joined the debate.
I was excited to know that President Trump is open to the idea of being the next Pope. It would be a really surprise candidate, but I ask the papal conclave and the faithful Catholics who keep the mind open to this possibility. Graham, RS.C., wrote in X. “The first Papa-president combination of the United States has many advantages. Waiting for white smoke … Trump mmxxviii!”
The vice president JD Vance, who is Catholic and was one of the last foreign officials to meet with Francis before the Pope died, also joked about the possibility that the Secretary of State Marco Rubio becomes a potato, suggesting that Rubio could add it to the long list of titles he owns, including national security advisor and interim archivist.
In addition to presenting himself as a candidate for office, Trump has also promoted cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York.
I have no preference. I must say that we have a cardinal who lives in New York and is very good. So we’ll see what happens, ”he said.
Dolan, 75, is one of the 10 American cardinals who will vote in the conclave, but Trump’s proposal could have cost him support.
The reason why the conclaves are held in secret, with the cardinals isolated during their duration, is to prevent external secular powers from influencing their choice, as happened in past centuries.
There is an old saying about campaigning for the potato or being promoted excessively, especially by external people: if “you enter a conclave like Pope, you salts like a cardinal.”
Although Trump attended Francisco’s funeral, he and Vance faced the American bishops in general and Francisco in particular for the inflexible position of the government about immigration and his efforts to suffer massively to migrants. Just before being hospitalized in February for pneumonia, Francisco harshly criticized the mass deportation plans of the Government and Vance’s theological justification.
During his more than 12 years as Pope, Francisco tried to rebuild the American Catholic hierarchy in his image, prioritizing shepherds who defended social justice and migratory problems above the cultural combatants who enjoyed the greatest support of their most doctrinal predecessors, St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI. A new more conservative Pope could reverse that strategy.
Trump has appointed Brian Burch as his ambassador to the Holy See, whose site Catholicvote.org has been covering intensely the days before the conclave in the Vatican. Burch was one of the main disseminators in English -speaking media of a report, denied resounding and officially by the Vatican, according to which Cardinal Pietro Parolin had had a health problem last week that required medical care.
Parolin was secretary of state during Francisco’s government and is considered one of the main papacy candidates. He is also the main architect of Vatican’s policy towards China and his controversial 2018 agreement with Beijing on the appointment of bishops, an agreement that was harshly criticized by the first Trump administration.
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