New York Catholic bishops blast Donald Trump for sharing AI image of himself as pope: 'Do not mock us'

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump was slammed by the Catholic bishops of New York amid backlash for sharing an AI-generated image of himself as pope in papal attire.

The president shared the photo on his Truth Social page without any caption, which was later re-posted on X (formerly Twitter) by The White House. The post caused outrage across the globe, especially just a couple of weeks after Pope Francis' death.

New York Catholic bishops tell Donald Trump not to ‘mock' them

Taking to X, the New York State Catholic Conference wrote, “There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr President.”

“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,” they added.

Their response soon went viral with over eight million views and several replies.

Internet feels Donald Trump 'has no respect’ for anyone

People on the internet took to X to blast Donald Trump after the New York State Catholic Conference slammed him for sharing the "offensive" AI-generated image, just weeks after Pope Francis' death.

An X user posted, “This is sacrilegious and offensive.”

Another commented, “Couldn’t agree more.”

One person said, “Thank you for speaking up.”

“I’m not a Catholic. And I find this offensive and depraved. It’s a mockery of the religion. It’s not funny. It also brings a huge negative impact to the country,” another wrote.

“As a Catholic, this photo shows how stupid the people at the White House are,” one individual stated.

Another remarked, “Trump has no respect for the living or the dead.”

One commented read, “I’m not a fan of your church but I will give you respect. What the “president” is doing is so disrespectful. I’m sorry, from an embarrassed nation.”

Representative Ted Lieu (D-California) shared, “As a Catholic, I take great offense to Donald Trump mocking Catholics. I wish Trump would focus on lowering prices instead. The American economy had negative GDP growth last quarter. That’s what he should be focused on instead of making fun of Catholics.”

US Cardinal Timothy Dolan said on Sunday, May 4, as per Reuters, "It wasn't good. I hope he didn’t have anything to do with that."

Supporters back Donald Trump amid backlash over AI-generated image

Some people supported Donald Trump like Vice President JD Vance, who said, “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.”

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) added, “Glad to report there is a very positive reception and strong momentum for President Trump to be the next Pope. But I will be the first to admit there has been some resistance.”

“I’m a Catholic and I have to say this Pope wasn’t very beloved to me. Catholic charities taking millions of dollars to facilitate illegals invading my country is much more offending to me as a Catholic than this meme,” an individual wrote while backing the president.

Another X account claimed, “As a Catholic, it’s funny. You know who would have thought it was funny? John Paul II. Because that man had a good sense of humor. Seems you are just filled with rage and hate. I will pray for your souls.”

Donald Trump says Cardinal Timothy Dolan should be next pope

On April 30, Donald Trump had jokingly said, "I’d like to be pope."

But then suggested the name of Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, as Pope Francis' possible successor.

According to USA Today, he said, "I must say, we have a cardinal that happens to be out of a place called New York who’s very good, so we’ll see what happens."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.