Donald Trump is accused of mocking the election of a new leader of the Catholic Church after placing an artificial image generated by intelligence as the Pope on social media.
The statue, shared on Friday evening on the social site of Trump and the official X account of the White House, raised eyebrows in the Vatican, which is still in the nine -day period of official mourning after the funeral of Pope Francis on 26 April.
With Trump in a white cassock, a golden crucifix pendant and absentia, or the hat of Bishop, and with his index finger directed to heaven, the image was the subject of various questions during the daily conclusace briefing of the Vatican on Saturday.
It came when Cardinals from all over the world gathered in Rome before the conclave, the secret election process to choose a new leader of the 1.4-million-strong Catholic Church, and only a few days after Trump joked, he would like to “be Pope”.
The former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said the image was embarrassing. “This is an image that insults believers, insults institutions and shows that the leader of the right -wing world likes to clow around,” he wrote on X.
In the US, the Catholic conference of the state of New York, which represents the Bishops of the State, accused Trump of Spot.
“There is nothing smart or funny about this image, Mr. President,” they wrote. “We have just buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to choose a new successor to St. Peter. Did not mock us.”
Italian and Spanish news reports regretted his bad taste and said it was offensive, given that the period of official mourning was still underway. The Left La Repubblica of Italy also contained the statue on the home page on Saturday with a comment that Trump accused of “pathological megalomania”.
Asked to respond to the criticism, said the Pers Secretary of the White House, Karoline Leavitt, that Trump “had been an avid champion for Catholics and religious freedom”.
Trump, who is not a Catholic and does not regularly go to church, attended the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome in Rome eight days ago.
The Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close Trump bondmate, stacked on what the Catholic leaders of New York had branded.
“I was excited to hear that President Trump is open to the idea of being the next pope. This would really be a candidate for dark horses, but I would ask the papal conclave and the Catholic believers to keep an open mind about this possibility!” He wrote on X. “The first combination of the Pope-US president has many advantages. Looking at white smoke … Trump mmxxviii!”
Jack Posobiec, a prominent extreme right-wing influencer and Trump all-fellow who recently participated in a Catholic prayer event in March in the Trump’s Florida resort, also defended the president.
“I am a Catholic. We all made jokes all week about the upcoming pope selection. It is called a sense of humor,” he wrote on X.
#Trump #accused #mocking #Catholics #placing #image #pope
