Donald Trump has been called “a clown” for posting an image of himself as the pope.The AI-generated picture caused anger ahead of this week’s gathering of cardinals to choose a new leader of the 1.4-billion-strong Catholic Church.

It’s sad both for the White House and for the president,” one cardinal said. “I mean, he makes themselves ridiculous, right?”

The AI image of President Trump masquerading as the pope "mocks God, the Catholic Church and the Papacy," Bishop Paprocki said.

The conclave to elect the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church will begin Wednesday, gathering 133 eligible cardinals under the age of 80. As reported by Digi24, this closed-door election follows the death of Pope Francis and is expected to yield one of the most consequential papal choices in modern history.

There is no rule that cardinals electing a new pope vote a certain way according to their nationality or region. But understanding their makeup in geographic terms can help explain some of their priorities as they open the conclave Wednesday to choose a new leader of the 1.