United States President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image depicting himself as pope just days after making a comment to reporters that he would like to become the next pope. Source: OSV News.
The image drew condemnation from some Church leaders and commentators, while some defended it as a jest.
Mr Trump posted the AI image of himself in what appeared to be the traditional vestments of the pope late in the evening on May 2 on his website Truth Social, with no caption. But the image sparked controversy when it was shared on the official White House X account.
Robert Schmuhl, professor emeritus of American studies at the University of Notre Dame, who critically observes the modern American presidency, said: “Donald Trump has a strange sense of humour”.
“He recently told Time that his vow of quickly ending the Ukraine war on ‘day one’ of his presidency ‘was said in jest’,” Professor Schmuhl said on Saturday.
“Now he’s circulating an image of him as the pope. Is this really intended to be funny? Millions of Catholics in America and abroad certainly won’t think so.”
Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois, said Mr Trump should apologise for the image, which he called “deeply offensive to Catholics, especially during this sacred time that we are still mourning the death of Pope Francis and praying for the guidance of the Holy Spirit for the election of our new pope.”
“He owes an apology,” Bishop Paprocki said, arguing: “Make no mistake: God is not mocked’ (Galatians 6:7). The Pope is the Vicar of Christ. By publishing a picture of himself masquerading as the pope, President Trump mocks God, the Catholic Church, and the Papacy.”
Joshua Mercer, vice president of CatholicVote, a right-leaning political advocacy organisation that endorsed Trump’s presidential bid, argued in a statement: “Trump’s joking meme depicting himself as the pope was obviously intended to be humorous.”
But the New York State Catholic Conference wrote on X: “There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President.”
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Trump’s AI image depicting himself as pope brings condemnation from some; others call it a jest (By Kate Scanlon, OSV News)
