"This is deeply offensive to Catholics," wrote the Bishop of Springfield, Illinois, Thomas Paprocki, on Twitter. This is all the more true as "we are still mourning the death of Pope Francis and praying for the guidance of the Holy Spirit for the election of our new Pope". Trump must apologise.
On Friday, the White House circulated a photo of Donald Trump created using artificial intelligence (AI) on social media. The image shows Trump in a white cassock with mitre, pectoral cross and raised index finger on a bishop's chair.
Trump had attended the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome a week ago. The President later joked that he would like to be Pope himself and added: "That would be my first choice".
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni did not want to make a statement on Trump's AI image at the weekend, even when asked several times by journalists.
The US president is clearly keen to capitalise on the current attention surrounding church issues for his own benefit: Not only has he caused a furore with the image, but he has also set up a new "Commission on Religious Freedom".
Trump signed the corresponding decree on 1 May at an interfaith event for the National Day of Prayer in the Rose Garden of the White House. Members of the commission are said to include New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan and the Bishop of Winona-Rochester, Robert Barron. Both are considered to be extremely Trump-friendly.
According to the White House, the commission will advise the Office of Faith and Counsel and the Domestic Policy Council. It would be tasked with producing a comprehensive report on the foundations of religious freedom in America, strategies to raise awareness of peaceful religious pluralism in America, current threats to religious freedom and strategies to preserve and enhance protections for future generations.
Dolan's stay in Rome angers Trump
His administration defends people of all faiths and their religious freedoms at home and abroad, Trump emphasised at the event.
The fact that Cardinal Dolan stayed away from the event because he was in Rome for the upcoming papal election annoyed him, the US president was quoted as saying. Nevertheless, he "really had an excuse" because of the conclave.
The second appointed Catholic representative, Bishop Barron, commented on his appointment to the commission on social media: "Religious liberty in our country has been a central concern of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for decades, and I see my role as bringing the perspective of Catholic social teaching to bear as the commission endeavours to shape public policy on this issue."
Trump has been criticised at the US bishops' conference for his rigorous isolationist policy towards migrants and refugees and his political positions on the environment and the death penalty, among other things.
However, the president has been praised for his restrictive approach to the protection of life and gender policy.