Trump jokes that he’d like to be the next pope
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Mr Trump noted he actually had no preference on who he would like to see become the next Catholic pontiff.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump on April 29 joked that he would like to succeed Pope Francis, who died last week at the age of 88
Mr Trump, asked about whom he’d like to see become the next Catholic pontiff, told reporters: “I’d like to be pope. That would be my No. 1 choice.”
Mr Trump noted he actually had no preference, adding: “I must say, we have a cardinal that happens to be out of a place called New York who’s very good, so we’ll see what happens.”
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, is not on the short list of possible contenders for the top spot, but it does include another American – Cardinal Joseph Tobin, archbishop of Newark, New Jersey.
There has never been a pope from the US.
Mr Trump and his wife Melania travelled to Rome last weekend to attend the funeral of the first pontiff
The two men had exchanged criticisms over a decade, mostly related to the Pope’s plea for compassion for migrants, a group Mr Trump has repeatedly sought to deport.
About 135 Catholic cardinals will soon be tasked with entering a secret conclave to choose the next pope, with no clear front runner in sight. REUTERS
