Last weekend, the White House shared an AI-generated image of Donald Trump dressed in papal regalia, seated on Peter's throne, and raising a hand in benediction on social media.

The image, originally posted on Trump's Truth Social account, quickly went viral, drawing both amusement and criticism. Many Catholics found it disrespectful or even blasphemous. On Monday Trump dismissed the backlash, stating, "You have to have a little fun," and noting that his wife Melania thought the image was "cute."

This incident exemplifies how political theater can overshadow the solemnity of religious traditions. As the papal conclave begins, media narratives have begun to frame it through the lens of American electoral politics.

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle faces unfounded gambling rumors; Cardinal Pietro Parolin is subject to health scare speculations; and Cardinal Robert Prevost's record on clergy abuse is being scrutinized. These stories, while attention-grabbing, risk reducing the conclave to a mere political contest, ignoring the profound spiritual discernment it entails.

The papacy is not the presidency. The conclave is not a campaign. Understanding the future of the Catholic Church requires moving beyond the simplistic binaries of liberal versus conservative and recognizing the deeper theological and pastoral debates at play.

Unlike a political campaign, a conclave has no declared candidates, no televised debates. Yet Western media often cast it as a "liberal vs. conservative" showdown. The global Catholic Church, however, fits poorly along left-right ideological lines common to American politics. This........

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