'Not funny, sir': Cardinal David calls out Trump for posting AI-generated photo as pope
Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David called out US President Donald Trump for posting an AI-generated photo of himself in papal attire following Pope Francis' death.
"An AI-generated photo was posted by the US President himself, a few days after he attended the funeral of Pope Francis and while the Catholic world is still mourning," David said in a Facebook post.
"With all due respect to his office and to the American people, we’d like him to know it’s not funny," he added.
David, the bishop of Kalookan and the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, also shared 10 languages, saying, "Not funny, sir."
Trump originally shared the photo on his social media platform Truth Social. He's wearing a white cassock, a gold crucifix pendant, and a mitre or bishop’s hat. He's pointing his index finger upward, an apparent imitation of the traditional posture of the pope.
Trump, a Protestant, has been accused of mocking the Catholic Church.
"This is an image that offends believers, insults institutions, and shows that the leader of the global right enjoys playing the clown," said former Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi on X.
“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," the New York State Catholic Conference said in a statement quoted by The Guardian.
Asked to respond to the criticism, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump had “been a staunch champion for Catholics and religious liberty," The Guardian reported.
Pope Francis died on April 21. He was 88. His death came a day after he had made his first prolonged public appearance since being discharged on March 23 from a 38-day hospital stay for double pneumonia.
Francis was laid to rest on April 26 at the Santa Maria Maggiore basilica in Rome.
On May 7, cardinals worldwide will participate in the conclave, a process in which they will be locked in seclusion as they vote for the next pope. Of the 252 cardinals serving the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church, some 135 cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to take part in the conclave.
David, alongside Cardinals Luis Antonio Tagle and Jose Advincula, are the three Filipino voting cardinals in this year's conclave.