Cardinals will collect on Might 7 in a conclave within the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel to elect a brand new pope.
United States President Donald Trump has confronted backlash, together with from Catholics, after he posted a synthetic intelligence-generated picture exhibiting himself because the pope days upfront of a conclave to elect the subsequent pontiff.
Trump, who is just not a Catholic and doesn’t attend church recurrently, posted the picture on his Reality Social platform late on Friday, lower than per week after attending the funeral of Pope Francis, who died final month on the age of 88. The White Home then reposted it on its official X account.
The picture exhibits an unsmiling Trump seated in an ornate chair, wearing white papal vestments and headdress, together with his proper forefinger raised.
It got here after Trump joked to reporters this week that he wish to be the subsequent pope, simply days earlier than cardinals are resulting from begin the conclave to elect the successor of Pope Francis.
— The White Home (@WhiteHouse) Might 3, 2025
Requested who he wish to succeed Francis, Trump mentioned: “I’d wish to be pope, that might be my primary alternative.”
Trump went on to say he didn’t have a desire, however mentioned there was a cardinal in New York who was “excellent”.
He seemed to be referring to the archbishop of New York, Timothy Dolan, a theological conservative and fiercely against abortion.
‘Blatant insult to Catholics’
The irreverent posting, nonetheless, drew prompt outrage on X, together with from Republicans in opposition to Trump, a bunch that describes itself as “pro-democracy conservative Republicans preventing Trump & Trumpism”. The group reposted the picture, calling it “a blatant insult to Catholics and a mockery of their religion”.
The New York State Catholic Convention, which says it represents bishops of the state in working with the federal government, voiced sharp criticism of the image.
“There may be nothing intelligent or humorous about this picture, Mr. President,” it wrote in a submit on X.
“We simply buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a brand new successor of St. Peter. Don’t mock us.”
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni declined to touch upon the picture throughout a briefing with journalists concerning the means of electing a brand new pope, which begins on Might 7.
Former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi wrote on X: “That is a picture that offends believers, insults establishments and exhibits that the chief of the worldwide proper enjoys being a clown. Within the meantime, the American financial system dangers recession and the greenback loses worth.”
Italy’s left-leaning La Repubblica additionally featured the picture on its homepage on Saturday with a commentary accusing Trump of “pathological megalomania”.
When requested to answer the criticism, White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned: “President Trump flew to Italy to pay his respects for Pope Francis and attend his funeral, and he has been a staunch champion for Catholics and non secular liberty.”
Pope Francis had arguably been one of the crucial highly effective ethical voices on the world stage vital of Trump.
When Trump first ran for president in 2016, Francis was unsparing on his signature promise to construct a border wall to seal off Mexico.
Francis had informed reporters: “Anybody, whoever he’s, who solely needs to construct partitions and never bridges is just not a Christian.”
Cardinals will collect on Might 7 in a conclave within the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel to elect a brand new pope.
