. How US President’s AI joke ‘predicted’ first American Catholic Pontiff’s emergence
A few days after US President Donald Trump sparked controversy with an AI-generated image of himself dressed as the pope posted on his Truth Social platform, American-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was on Thursday elected as the first Pope of US origin, in a historic turn of events.
On Thursday evening, the Vatican announced Prevost as the 267th pontiff of the Catholic Church, taking the name Pope Leo XIV.
With this announcement, American Pope Leo XIV now leads a global faith at a time of renewal and scrutiny.
The new Catholic Pontiff is said to be a moderate figure with close ties to the late Pope Francis and experience in missionary work in Peru.
Recall that just days before the Vatican’s conclave to elect Pope Francis’s successor, Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself dressed in full papal attire on his social media platform, giving a hint of his desire for a Pope of American origin.
In his post, Trump further joked that he would “love to be pope”, adding that it would be his “number one choice”.
But the US president’s actions were greeted with criticisms and he was even accused of being insensitive by members of the Catholic community, including cardinals preparing for the conclave.
However, the Vatican refrained from making any official comment on the matter.
Although Trump is not Catholic, he attended Pope Francis’s funeral.
This action of the US President added to the controversy of his posts during the Vatican’s official mourning period.
Some analysts are however of the opinion that Trump’s and social media posts and subsequent actions suggested that he had the ‘inkling’ that an American citizen would eventually emerge as the new Pope.
Before the 2025 conclave, Prevost was not considered one of the frontrunners for the papacy, especially when compared to other prominent candidates like Italy’s Pietro Parolin, the Philippines’ Luis Tagle, or Congo’s Fridolin Besungu. These more prominent Cardinals were believed to be the leading contenders. They were even heavily featured on betting platforms and Vatican analyst discussions.
Ordinarily and even from history of the Catholic Church, the Cardinals preferred older European successors to the papacy due to their conservative nature.
But how the “dark horse” Prevost quietly managed to beat these more popular candidates for the papacy to emerge the leader of the 1.4billion Catholics across the world will remain a question that boggles minds.
Meanwhile, the United States President has congratulated Cardinal Robert Prevost on his election as the new pope of the Catholic Church.
Prevost, who adopted the name Leo XIV, is the first American pope in the church’s history.
He was declared the new Catholic Pontiff on Thursday evening, hours after white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney in Rome.
Recall that the conclave to elect the new pope began on Wednesday.
Trump in his reaction to the development, said it is an honour that the new papal head is the first American in the history of the Catholic Church.
The US President in a Truth Social post shortly after the Vatican’s announcement, wrote, “What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country.
“I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”
