The Catholic Conference of the State of New York accused this Saturday (03.05.2025) to the president of the United States, Donald Trump, to make fun of the faith, after the president published an image of his dressed as a pontiff and that he has gone viral, in the midst of the duel after the death of Pope Francis.
“This image has nothing ingenious, or fun, Mr. President,” wrote the Catholic group in an X publication.
“We have just built our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to choose the new successor of San Pedro. He did not make fun of us,” the conference added.
The controversial image of the American ruler is made with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and presents it with white cassock, Mitra, Cruz Dorada and seems to be to give a blessing, since it has a right arm inclined to shoulder height and with the index finger raised.
Trump’s image appears while the Catholic Church awaits next Wednesday the beginning of the conclave that will choose his new pontiff, after the death of Pope Francis and whose funerals attended the US president himself and two days after the Republican president suggested that he would be a good option to occupy the throne of St. Peter.
“I would like to be Pope. That would be my number one option. I think it would be a great Pope. No one would do it better than me,” said the president on Wednesday from the White House.
Vance defended Trump
For his part, the US vice president, JD Vance, converted to Catholicism and who was the last public official who attended the missing Pope Francis, defended Trump into a publication in his X account by arguing that the image should be taken as a joke.
The discomfort expressed by the New York Catholic Conference, contrasts with Trump’s idea that he would like the New York archbishop, Cardinal Timothy Michael Dollan, one of the American prelates present in the conclave, was the next Pope.
The White House and the Vatican without comments
The White House did not immediately answer questions about the negative reaction to the image or about the reason why the president shared it.
According to Reuters, the Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, declined to comment on the subject, during an informative session with journalists about the conclave.
The Italian newspaper La Repubblica also published the image on its main page this Saturday with a comment in which it accused Trump of “pathological megalomania.”
JC (AFP, Reuters, La Repubblica, CBS News)
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