US President Donald Trump's act of comparing himself to Jesus Christ is "unacceptable," the General Vicar of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem told Anadolu on Monday.
"If we consider Jesus Christ as a model, then we should emulate him—but that should be through his humility, spirit of service, and self-sacrifice, not through a desire for domination, authority, and marginalizing others," Bishop William Shomali said.
"Therefore, the problem is not that he (Trump) tries to emulate Jesus Christ, but rather that he tries to present himself as if he were a superhuman and great figure.
"This is not acceptable and is rejected," Shomali added.
The US president's conduct during the recent war with Iran has violated basic Christian principles, the bishop stressed, noting that Trump "is unfortunately undermining the fundamental principles of the Christian faith, which is to love your neighbor as yourself."
Shomali also voiced the Vatican's and the Catholic Church's opposition to the war, adding that both the pope and most US bishops oppose it.
On Sunday, Trump launched a sweeping attack against Pope Leo XIV, calling him "weak on crime" and "foreign policy," claiming the Catholic Church only chose him to manage relations with the Trump administration.
The US president also shared an AI-generated photo on Truth Social depicting himself as Jesus.
