US President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself to social media.\u00a0<\/span>Photo:\u00a0Screengrab<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n “The statements made by President Trump on Truth Social regarding the pope were entirely inappropriate and disrespectful,” Minnesota Bishop Robert Barron, a member of the president’s Religious Liberty Commission, said.<\/p>\n “I think the president owes the pope an apology.”<\/p>\n Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, said he was “disheartened that the president chose to write such disparaging words about the Holy Father”.<\/p>\n “Pope Leo is not his rival; nor is the pope a politician. He is the Vicar of Christ who speaks from the truth of the Gospel and for the care of souls.”<\/p>\n Trump said he would not apologise “because Pope Leo said things that are wrong”.<\/p>\n “He was very much against what I’m doing with regard to Iran, and you cannot have a nuclear Iran. Pope Leo would not be happy with the end result,” he said.<\/p>\n Trump went on to repeat his criticism that the pope was “weak on crime” and said he preferred the pope’s brother, “a big MAGA person”.<\/p>\n Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, one of Trump’s closest allies in Europe, issued a statement in defence of the pope.<\/p>\n “I find President Trump’s words towards the Holy Father unacceptable,” she said.<\/p>\n “The pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and normal for him to call for peace and to condemn every form of war.”<\/p>\n Conservative youth commentator Brilyn Hollyhand, who co-chaired the Republican National Committee’s youth advisory council, called the AI image “gross blasphemy”.<\/p>\n “Faith is not a prop. You don’t need to portray yourself as a savior when your record should speak for itself,” he wrote online.<\/p>\n Pastor Doug Wilson, who recently led a prayer service at the Pentagon and\u00a0founded the network of churches that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth belongs to<\/a>, said: “I was very grateful to see how many conservative Christians immediately denounced the blasphemous Jesus\/Trump image.”<\/p>\n “I was also grateful to see how many centre\/left Christians suddenly agreed that public blasphemy is a thing we should all be concerned about. A bit late, but still good,” he added.<\/p>\n Pope Leo.\u00a0<\/span>Photo:\u00a0ANDREAS SOLARO\/AFP<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Pope Leo has been critical of US military action in Iran<\/a>, and previously expressed concern about the Trump administration’s treatment of immigrants and its operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicol\u00e1s Maduro.<\/p>\n The first US-born pope, who is travelling in Africa, told reporters aboard the papal plane he was “not afraid of the Trump administration or of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what the Church works for”.<\/p>\n “The things that I say are certainly not meant as attacks on anyone,” Pope Leo said, according to the Associated Press.<\/p>\n “The message of the Gospel is very clear: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers.'”<\/p>\n Provocative and combative social media posting has been characteristic of both of Trump’s terms in office.<\/p>\n But several of Trump’s recent Truth Social posts have generated significant pushback on his own side of politics and\u00a0prompted opponents to question his mental state<\/a>.<\/p>\nBacklash in the US and abroad<\/h3>\n
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Escalating online rhetoric<\/h3>\n