President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself dressed as the pope amid ongoing mourning for Pope Francis and shortly before the conclave to elect the next pope. This action sparked criticism from Catholic bishops in New York and Italians alike. The image, shared Friday night on Trump’s Truth Social and later on the White House’s official X account, drew attention on social media and at the Vatican, which remains in a nine-day mourning period following Pope Francis’ death on April 21. During this time, Catholic cardinals have been holding daily Masses in his memory and are set to begin the conclave on Wednesday to select his successor. The death of a pope and the election of a new one are profoundly solemn events for Catholics, who view the pope as Christ’s representative on Earth—an especially strong sentiment in Italy, where even non-religious citizens hold the papacy in high respect. The image showing Trump in a white cassock and pointed miter (bishop’s hat) was discussed during the Vatican’s daily conclave briefing Saturday, with Italian and Spanish media condemning it as distasteful and offensive during the official mourning period. Former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, a left-leaning figure, called the image shameful, accusing Trump of offending believers and institutions while ignoring serious issues like the U. S. economy’s risks. The Vatican press officer, Matteo Bruni, declined to comment. In the U. S. , the New York State Catholic Conference, representing state bishops in government affairs, condemned Trump’s image as mockery. They reminded that Pope Francis had just been buried and cardinals were about to enter a solemn conclave, urging the president not to mock the process. Italian left-leaning newspaper La Repubblica also criticized Trump, describing him as suffering from “pathological megalomania. ” When pressed for a response, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt highlighted Trump’s attendance at Pope Francis’ funeral and his advocacy for Catholics and religious liberty. Trump ally and far-right influencer Jack Posobiec defended the image, saying Catholics had been joking about the upcoming pope selection and that it was a matter of humor.

This controversy follows Trump’s own joke last week expressing his interest in becoming pope, despite not being Catholic. Senator Lindsey Graham, a close Trump supporter, joked about Trump as a "dark horse" candidate for pope, encouraging the Catholic faithful to keep an open mind. Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic who met with Francis shortly before his death, also joked about Secretary of State Marco Rubio potentially becoming pope, mocking the accumulation of Rubio’s many titles. In addition to promoting himself, Trump endorsed Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, as a potential pope, although such endorsements might harm Dolan’s chances, as conclaves are traditionally secret to prevent secular influences; excessive campaigning can backfire, summarized in the saying: “If you enter a conclave as pope, you leave as a cardinal. ” While Trump attended the funeral, he and Vance have clashed with U. S. bishops and Pope Francis over hardline immigration policies, with Francis last February strongly criticizing mass deportation plans and Vance’s theological defense of them. Over his 12-year papacy, Francis reshaped the U. S. Catholic hierarchy towards social justice and migration issues, contrasting with the more conservative stances favored by his predecessors. A more conservative new pope could reverse these changes. Trump has nominated Brian Burch as ambassador to the Holy See; Burch’s Catholicvote. org has actively covered Vatican pre-conclave news, including spreading, in English-speaking media, a report—denied by the Vatican—that Cardinal Pietro Parolin experienced a recent health scare. Parolin, Francis’ secretary of state and a leading papal contender, is known for shaping Vatican-China relations via a controversial 2018 agreement on bishop appointments, which drew criticism from the first Trump administration.