Francis I would have laughed at 'Pope Don'

Are you a Trump supporter if you chuckle at the AI-generated image of Donald Trump as pope posted by St Donald? Would that make you anti-Catholic? For all those of us who can take a joke and run with it, not taking things too seriously has always been held forth as a badge of honour against 'villagers' with pitchforks and torches always getting 'offended'. The usual suspects probably secretly bathe in the guilty pleasures of feeling slighted or insulted as they rant and rail. When Pope Francis I was strutted out in AI-generated high-fashion images walking the ramp earlier, most of us marvelled not just at the ingenuity of the pics, but also at how a religious figure of a particular faith could be subject for mirth and play without the usual fire and brimstone response from followers.

Unlike followers of some other religious faiths, Christians, it must be said, have, at least in the 21st c., taken the chill pill when it comes to Jesus memes and pontiff sketches. This, frankly, makes Christianity cool - that like a person who can laugh at himself, a faith can also have a chuckle at its own expense. Yes, Trump's taste is questionable because of the 'Me as pope' image. But tastefulness was never something he peddled. On the contrary, seeing himself as pope is supremely hilarious. Much like the harmless old bumper sticker: The pope smokes dope.