US President Donald Trump is facing growing backlash after posting an AI-generated image of himself as a Jesus-like figure and launching a series of social media attacks on Pope Leo XIV, drawing criticism from across the Christian political spectrum.The image, shared on Trump’s Truth Social platform on Sunday and deleted on Monday, showed him in a white robe placing a hand on a man’s head in a scene resembling a healing. It was posted after a separate message in which Trump criticised the pope, calling him “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy”.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listLater, Trump told reporters that, though he had posted the image, he thought it depicted him “as a doctor”.“And had to do with the Red Cross as a Red Cross worker, which we support. And only the fake news could come up with that one,” he said.He also said he does not “want a Pope who criticises the President of the United States”.“I don’t want to get into a debate with him,” Pope Leo said on Monday en route to Algiers, where the first US-born pontiff is beginning an 11-day visit to four African countries.“I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems,” Pope Leo said.“Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say there’s a better way.”‘Pope Leo is not his rival’Tensions between the White House and the Vatican have been …
