'Do not mock us': Trump scolded by Catholic bishops over AI pope picture

[LetMyPeopleVote]

Last edited Sun May 4, 2025, 08:06 AM - Edit history (1)

I am Jewish and I was offended by this picture

Link to tweet

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-pope-picture/

Donald Trump was on the receiving end of a rebuke from the New York State Catholic Conference for posting an AI-rendered picture of himself as the pope just as the Congregation of Cardinals begins deliberations on the replacement for the successor of the late Pope Francis.

With the conclave of 133 electors scheduled to meet on May 7th, the president or one of his aides posted the picture on Truth Social which has set off a mini-firestorm even among some of his MAGA supporters with one Trump fan writing, "I love Trump but his post isnt funny. Pretty scary actually."

The Catholic Bishops of New York State agreed.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, they wrote on the @NYSCatholicConf account, "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."

They then added, "Do not mock us."

Link to tweet

[LetMyPeopleVote]

1. This stunt is really offensive

[BlueTsunami2018]

2. I have a hard time taking any of this seriously.

What is a bigger mockery than these charlatans and hucksters pretending to be representing a mythological being?

Religion is poison, whatever hat it wears.

[a kennedy]

3. and this stupid and offensive post IS EXACTLY why we are NOW IN THE DEPTS OF

THIS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS piece of shit.

[Raven123]

4. What makes the Bishops think he is mocking them?

They and other religious leaders elevated him, praised him and soaked up the publicity that being in his presence brought them. It is natural that Trump would expect to be the next head of a major religious denomination. It’s their own darned fault.

[anciano]

5. "God has no religion." Mahatma Gandhi

[dflprincess]

6. Damn

Now he's got me agreeing with the bishops.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

9. Response from the Catholics in New York

[sop]

7. "Hopefully, this will have the same effect his 51st state did with Canada,

and they choose the most anti-Trump pope they can."

[LetMyPeopleVote]

8. Do not mock us

Link to tweet

[LetMyPeopleVote]

10. Maddow Blog-Many Catholic leaders weren't amused by Trump's 'joke' about becoming pope

When the president isn't using faith as a sword against his perceived political foes, he’s using it as a punch line to an unnecessary joke.

"The Italian newspaper La Repubblica featured the image on its homepage, alongside commentary accusing Trump of 'pathological megalomania'..."

Link to tweet

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/many-catholic-leaders-werent-amused-trumps-joke-becoming-pope-rcna204788

The comments raised a few eyebrows and generated a weird tweet from Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, but the story quickly faded.

That is, until Trump and the White House started leaning into the joke. The New York Times reported:

He took the joke a step further on Saturday, sharing on social media what appeared to be an A.I.-generated photo of himself wearing the traditional vestments of the pope. The photo depicts him in a white cassock with a cross around his neck, his face solemn as he raises a pointed finger. The origins of the photo were not immediately clear, and Mr. Trump did not include any commentary in his post. He shared the image on Truth Social, Instagram and X, and the White House reposted it on its official Instagram and X accounts.

Just so we’re all clear, Trump isn’t Catholic. Even if he were, there is no scenario in which he’d be considered for a leadership position at the Vatican. Given the circumstances, this is a deeply strange attempt at humor, which hasn’t been well received among many in the church.

“There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President,” the New York State Catholic Conference said in an online statement. “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.”.....

Meanwhile, James Martin, a Jesuit priest who is editor-at-large for the Jesuit publication America Magazine, added that “even though I find this deeply offensive, I will presume that Mr. Trump meant this light-heartedly.” Martin went on to note, however, “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.”.....

Either way, Trump occasionally likes to present himself as leading some kind of religious revival in the United States, but the fact remains that when he’s not using faith as a sword against his perceived political foes, he’s using it as a punch line to an unnecessary joke.