Pope Trump ‘Joke’: Can Western Civilization Withstand the Blow?

The picture, which was first posted by Trump on his social media network Truth Social and later shared by the White House on X

On May 2, with Pope Francis barely laid to rest and still within the official nine-day mourning period, cardinals from around the world were rushing to Rome in anticipation of the divine conclave. Meanwhile, Donald Trump released an AI-generated image depicting himself as the Pope—an act that enraged devout Catholics worldwide. Italian media La Repubblica condemned him as a “pathological megalomania.”

While Trump accused the offended of being unable to take a joke, Professor Qiu Wenping from the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, noted that Europeans were being far too polite. In his view, the Trump administration has systematically undermined two key spiritual legacies of Pope Francis, even accelerating the decline of Western civilization.

First, Catholic doctrine champions temperance and lists greed among the seven deadly sins. Pope Francis upheld these values throughout his life—Trump, by contrast, blatantly defies them.

In the fake image, Trump’s orange-hued face emerges from sacred white robes, adorned with a heavy gold cross. He likely does not realise that, traditionally, papal privilege was marked by red robes, while Francis deliberately chose a humble white robe and a silver cross as a symbol of frugality and a commitment to easing the financial burden on believers. While Trump squandered his $400 million inheritance at Mar-a-Lago, Pope Francis’s entire estate amounted to a mere $100. He lived in a small cardinal dormitory until his death, never moving into the Apostolic Palace.

This modesty was not performative—it stemmed from his identity as the first Pope from South America. He never forgot the concerns of the Global South and underdeveloped regions. In contrast, Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance earned the Rust Belt’s support through Hillbilly Elegy, only to later weaponize the word “peasant” in an attempt to demean the Chinese. In China’s view, this is a betrayal of his own class, it’s hard not to think of Judas. For a Trump-led government to compare itself to Vatican clergy, despite defying core Catholic virtues, is nothing short of an insult to over a billion Catholics worldwide.

Second, Catholicism preaches love and compassion. Pope Francis tried to unite the globe through these values, while the Trump administration has resurrected the law of the jungle.

In 2016, Pope Francis met with Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church in Cuba, aimed to address the 1,000-year-old rift between the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Until he was gone, he continued to call for a ceasefire in the Ukraine War, hoping to bridge Russia and the West. However, even during his funeral, Trump could not resist pressuring Zelensky to accept a U.S.-scripted “peace.” In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus commands: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” Ironically, behind Zelensky at that moment hung a giant painting of Christ’s baptism—Trump’s actions defiled the second-greatest commandment after “loving God.”

Moreover, although mainland China has about six million Catholics, Vatican-China diplomatic relations have long been strained—mainly due to disputes over the Taiwan Question and the appointment of Chinese bishops. In 2018, however, the Vatican and China signed a Provisional Agreement on the Appointment of Bishops, wherein the Vatican acknowledged the One-China principle. On the basis of mutual respect and seeking common ground, resolved jurisdiction over Catholic affairs in China, putting relations back on track.

Yet while Francis’s pragmatism helped bridge the West and China, the U.S. was launching tariff wars, trade wars, and tech wars against China, exacerbating East-West tensions. Samuel Huntington, in The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, argued that the foundation of civilization lies in cultural identity and values, while conflict arises from power dynamics, especially military forces. The Catholic Church once symbolized traditional Western values—but the United States, as the dominant military force, is now diverging from the Vatican.

In fact, this rift predates Trump’s administration. To satisfy the profit motives of Big Pharma, the US has pushed radical gender agendas globally, challenging Catholic doctrines and traditional values. The Vatican could do little to resist. In 2013, Pope Benedict XVI chose to retire—becoming the first pope in six centuries to do so—leaving high hopes resting on the shoulders of Francis. Coincidentally, Pope Gregory XII also resigned in 1415 during the Great Western Schism, in an effort to reunify the Church.

Pope Francis visits with Pope Benedict XVI at the retired pope’s residence after a consistory at the Vatican in 2020

Pope Francis, after assuming the papacy, chose to compromise on gender issues, allowing priests to bless same-sex unions. This sparked an immediate backlash from African dioceses, representing roughly 20% of the global Catholic population. His reforms aimed at uniting young Western believers ended up alienating one-fifth of the Church.

Professor Qiu remarked that this divergence between “spiritual” and “military” authority is tearing Western civilization apart—something Vatican concessions alone cannot mend. The root of this crisis lies in the exclusivist logic at the heart of Western monotheistic civilization: it only recognizes its own sanctity. Its theological hermeneutics cannot adequately interpret new phenomena or answer emerging challenges, creating a cascade of irreconcilable contradictions with other value systems and civilizations. Even worse, this irreconcilable contradiction now occurs between two of the most prominent constituents of Western civilization.

Fortunately, Eastern civilization offers a solution to this dilemma.

In China, communities from all religious coexist in harmony. As early as 79 BCE, an ancient Chinese text called《战国策·魏策》mentioned same-sex love without taboo, known historically as the “龙阳之好.” This stems from a foundational Confucian principle, “Harmony without uniformity,” term means achieving overall harmonious co-existence on the basis of respecting differences and diversity, proposed 2,500 years ago and still guiding Chinese civilization. China acknowledges the existence of sexual minorities while respecting mainstream norms. These minorities are not treated as heretics, nor do they seek attention or privilege through identity politics.

Moreover, China’s modern materialist government no longer uses religion as a tool of governance or life guidance but respects its role as a spiritual anchor. Article 36 of China’s Constitution guarantees that “Citizens of the People’s Republic of China shall enjoy freedom of religious belief.” By legally recognizing all religions as equals, China has helped believers transcend sectarian differences in pursuit of a shared utopia—embodying the maxim of unity in diversity.

Sacred Heart Cathedral of Dali, China

Trump may fantasize about ascending to the papacy via AI-generated smoke from the Vatican’s chimney. But as Professor Qiu notes, perhaps AI itself is more qualified to be Pope—or even God. According to theology, God is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, AI may increasingly embody these divine attributes as technology advances. If Western civilization continues to be confined by its exclusivist logic and attempts to patch a broken system through flawed hermeneutics, it risks not only falling further under Trump’s United States—but heading into a civilizational dead end.

Editor: Charriot Zhai