Trump's AI image as Pope: Catholic Church demands apology

t-online Trump's AI image as Pope: Catholic Church demands apology 1 hour • 2 minutes read Catholics mourn Francis US bishops criticize Trump for pope image: "Deep insult" After Trump portrayed himself as Pope with an AI image, there was strong criticism from the Church. An apology is being demanded. Church officials have reacted with outrage to an image showing Donald Trump in papal robes. The image, distributed by Trump and the White House, was apparently created by artificial intelligence (AI). The image caused particular outrage among Catholic dignitaries in the USA. The Bishop of Springfield, Illinois, Thomas Paprocki, spoke of a mockery of God, the Catholic Church, and the papacy. He publicly called on Trump on the X platform for an apology. The publication of the image was "a deep insult," especially since the Church is still mourning Pope Francis and awaiting the election of a successor. To support his criticism, Paprocki quoted the Bible verse Galatians 6:7: "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked." Bishops demand: "Don't make fun of us." The New York State Catholic Conference, which brings together bishops from the state, also expressed outrage. In a statement on X, it said: "There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President." They took offense at Trump's staging of the image at a sensitive moment for Catholics, when the Church was bidding farewell to its deceased pope and preparing for the conclave. "Don't make fun of us," the bishops demanded. A few days earlier, the US President had joked that he himself would like to become the next head of the Catholic Church. "That would be my first choice," he replied when asked by journalists who he thought should be elected as the next pope at the conclave in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel, which begins Wednesday. Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt rejected the criticism, saying the president personally attended Pope Francis's funeral and is "a staunch defender of Catholics and religious freedom."