4/5/2025
Catholic Bishops in New York State have rebuked US President Donald Trump for posting a photo of himself dressed as the Pope.
Last week after Pope Francis was laid to rest, Trump joked that he would like to be the next Catholics Pontiff and later the White House posted an AI generated photo of Trump mimicking the Pope.
“There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President,” the NYS Catholic Conference account, representing the Catholic Bishops of New York State, tweeted on Saturday, May 3.
“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.”
Trump’s action sparked an outrage amongst Catholics and people of other faiths, they described the action as tasteless and insensitive days before the conclave is set to elect Pope Francis’ successor.
Meanwhile US Vice President JD Vance a Catholic sees nothing wrong with Trump making a jest of the Pope.
“As a general rule, I’m fine with people telling jokes and not fine with people starting stupid wars that kill thousands of my countrymen,” he wrote on X while responding to a chastisement of Trump by an aide to former President George Bush.
