• Trump's AI image as the Pope has been labeled "deeply offensive" by multiple Catholic leaders.
• The image was posted during the official mourning period for Pope Francis, igniting further outrage.
• Trump claimed he had no involvement in the creation of the image and described the reaction as a misunderstanding of humor.
• Some allies defended Trump, but significant criticism has come from major Catholic organizations and figures.
• Experts suggest that such humor regarding the Papacy may cross lines into disrespect.

President Donald Trump is facing a significant backlash after posting an AI-generated image of himself dressed as the Pope, leading many Catholic officials to describe the depiction as “deeply offensive” and “unfortunate.” The image was shared on both his Truth Social account and the official White House X account, coinciding with the nine-day mourning period for Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21, according to HuffPost and The New York Times.

In response to the controversy, Trump insisted he had "nothing to do with it," attributing it to others and suggesting “maybe it was AI.” He dismissed the criticism, stating that “the Catholics loved it,” and characterized the concerns as stemming from "fake news," according to Forbes and India Times.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, a prominent supporter of Trump, expressed hope that the president was not behind the image, noting that it was "not good," and calling the act a "brutta figura" which translates to making a bad impression, according to HuffPost and Salon.

The backlash cut across various Catholic organizations, including the New York State Catholic Conference, which issued a statement saying, “there is nothing clever or funny about this image; do not mock us,” according to HuffPost and India Times.

Trump has attempted to downplay the controversy, asserting that humor is necessary and claiming that even his wife found the image cute. He said, “Give me a break. Somebody did it in fun,” dismissing the notion that posting such content from an official account diminishes its credibility, as reported by HuffPost and Forbes.