President Donald Trump faced criticism for sharing an AI-generated image of himself as a Pope, shortly after the death of Pope Francis, which was deemed offensive by many religious leaders. Cardinal Timothy Dolan and the New York State Catholic Conference expressed disapproval, emphasizing the image's insensitivity during the mourning period and the forthcoming conclave to elect a new Pope. Bishop Thomas Paprocki called for an apology from Trump, stating that the image mocked the Catholic Church and its traditions. Despite the backlash, Vice President JD Vance defended Trump's post, arguing that humor should be allowed, especially in comparison to more severe actions like warfare. The incident highlighted tensions between humor and respect for religious sentiments, particularly during sacred times for the Catholic community.

President Trump shared an AI image of himself as a Pope just days after Pope Francis's death, leading to widespread criticism from religious leaders. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, part of Trump's Religious Liberty Commission, disapproved of the post, reflecting the broader discontent among Catholics.

Religious figures like Bishop Thomas Paprocki found the image deeply offensive, especially as the Catholic community was mourning Pope Francis and preparing for the conclave to elect a new Pope. Paprocki urged Trump to apologize, viewing the image as a disrespect to the Church.

The New York State Catholic Conference also condemned the post, underscoring the solemnity of the period following Pope Francis's burial and criticizing the image as neither clever nor funny.

Vice President JD Vance defended the image, suggesting that humor should be permissible and preferable over engaging in actions like wars, which cause significant loss of life.

The incident has sparked a debate about the appropriateness of humor involving religious symbols, particularly during sensitive times, and highlighted the challenges of balancing freedom of expression with respect for religious beliefs.

The backlash underscores the delicate nature of religious sentiments in the public sphere and the potential consequences of perceived mockery by public figures.

The timing of Trump's post, coinciding with the Vatican's preparations for selecting a new Pope, heightened the sensitivity and criticism from religious communities.

President Donald Trump recently shared an AI photo of himself as a Pope, following the death of Pope Francis, and not everyone found it so amusing.

New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan disapproved of the Truth Social post, which came just days after the passing of the religious leader, and just before the conclave set to take place at the Vatican to select the new Pope.

He told reporters he hoped Trump “didn’t have anything to do with that,” via The Hill.

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“Well, you know, it wasn’t good,” the cardinal added when asked whether he was offended.

The cardinal is part of Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission and has been an ally of the president.

Bishop Thomas Paprock said the president should apologize.

“This is 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 wrote.

The New York State Catholic Conference also criticized the post, saying there is “nothing clever or funny” about the image.

“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.”

Vice President JD Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, defended the post.

“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 in response to Bill Kristol, who served as chief of staff to the vice president in the George H.W. Bush administration.

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