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The comments raised a few eyebrows and generated a weird tweet from Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, but the story quickly faded.

That is, until Trump and the White House started leaning into the joke. The New York Times reported:

He took the joke a step further on Saturday, sharing on social media what appeared to be an A.I.-generated photo of himself wearing the traditional vestments of the pope. The photo depicts him in a white cassock with a cross around his neck, his face solemn as he raises a pointed finger. The origins of the photo were not immediately clear, and Mr. Trump did not include any commentary in his post. He shared the image on Truth Social, Instagram and X, and the White House reposted it on its official Instagram and X accounts.

Just so we’re all clear, Trump isn’t Catholic. Even if he were, there is no scenario in which he’d be considered for a leadership position at the Vatican. Given the circumstances, this is a deeply strange attempt at humor, which hasn’t been well received among many in the church.

“There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President,” the New York State Catholic Conference said in an online statement. “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.”.....

Meanwhile, James Martin, a Jesuit priest who is editor-at-large for the Jesuit publication America Magazine, added that “even though I find this deeply offensive, I will presume that Mr. Trump meant this light-heartedly.” Martin went on to note, however, “But imagine the incandescent outrage, the swift condemnation, and the individual and joint protests from the US bishops if this had been done by Joe Biden or Barack Obama.”.....

Either way, Trump occasionally likes to present himself as leading some kind of religious revival in the United States, but the fact remains that when he’s not using faith as a sword against his perceived political foes, he’s using it as a punch line to an unnecessary joke.