RC Church condemns Trump’s depiction of himself as Pope

THE Roman Catholic Church of TT has taken offence to an AI-generated image shared by American President Donald Trump on social media in which he states he should be the number one choice for the Pontiff’s replacement, following the April 21 death of Pope Francis.

Trump, 78, who attended Pope Francis’ funeral on April 26, shared the image of himself in full papal attire on his Truth Social account on May 2. Prior to the Instagram post he joked that he should succeed the late Pope.

In a statement, the Catholic Church of TT, said the papal mockery was highly insensitive and called for responsible and ethical use of AI.

“We are aware of the AI-generated image portraying US President Donald Trump as the Pope that is currently circulating on social media.

“While digital creativity is an unavoidable part of today’s media landscape, religious imagery – especially that of the Papal Office – holds profound meaning for Roman Catholics around the world.

“In the wake of the passing of Pope Francis, this image is particularly insensitive. Disrespect disguised as humour too often targets the sacred, reflecting a troubling disregard for faith and tradition.

“We call for the responsible and ethical use of AI, particularly when it intersects with matters of religion. Even in a digital age, truth and reverence still matter.”

Trump was roasted on the satirical Saturday Night Live (SNL) show, for posting the image.

Pope Francis was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina as Jorge Mario Bergoglio to an Italian family, and served as head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from March 12, 2013, to his death on April 21, 2025, at the age of 88. He chose the papal name Francis in honour of Saint Francis of Assisi.

The conclave to elect his successor – its 267th pope – will begin on May 7 as the Church enters the final preparatory phase for its selection.

Ahead of the process, a chimney was attached to the Sistine Chapel on May 2 from which white smoke will appear to signal the new leader of some 1.4 billion Catholics around the world.

The conclave consists of cardinals, senior members of the Catholic Church, who will meet behind locked doors until they reach a two-thirds majority agreement on who to elect.

With each vote, they will burn their ballots in a stove installed in the Sistine Chapel for this purpose. If black smoke plumes from the chimney, it means the 135 cardinals electors who must be under 80 years old, are not in consensus and must vote again. White smoke indicates agreement.

The process relies on chemicals to produce the desired colour.