Washington DC: After joking that it would be his "number one choice" to lead the Catholic Church, US President Donald Trump took the moment further by sharing an AI image of himself dressed as the Pope.
The photo, which shows Trump in full papal attire, was posted on his social media platforms, including Instagram and Truth Social. The White House also shared Trump's image on its official X account.
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump had told a reporter, "I'd like to be Pope. That'd be my number one choice."
When asked who should replace pope Francis, Trump said, "I have no preference," but added, "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," Politico reported.
World leaders including US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, attended Pope's funeral.
Pope Francis passed away on April 21, 2025, at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta.
The 88-year-old head of the Roman Catholic Church was recently discharged from Rome's Gemelli Hospital, where he spent five weeks receiving treatment for an infection that led to double pneumonia.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, he was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969. Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on February 28, 2013, a papal conclave elected Cardinal Bergoglio as his successor on March 13. He chose Francis as his papal name in honour of Saint Francis of Assisi.
For the election of the next Pope, the College of Cardinals has recognised that all 133 cardinal electors have the right to vote in the upcoming conclave on May 7.
Among the 133 cardinals currently eligible to vote in the Papal conclave, four are from India. These include Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrao, Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, Cardinal Anthony Poola, and Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad.
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