Memorializing the President and Congress to apologize to the Vatican and the Catholic Church

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Wendell Gilliard

Calls for the President and Congress to issue a sincere apology to the Vatican and Catholic Church for an image showing the President in papal vestments.

Referred to Committee on Invitations and Memorial Resolutions

Bill at a glance

Bill number: H 4509

Classification: Resolution (memorial)

Short title: Memorializing the President and Congress to express a sincere apology to the Vatican and members of the Catholic Church

Primary action: Non‑binding request that the President of the United States and Congress apologize for dissemination of images depicting the President dressed as the Pope

Introduced: May 6, 2025 (filed); additional entries show activity through September–October 2025

Current status (as provided): Referred to Committee on Invitations and Memorial Resolutions; hearing scheduled 10/15/2025 (1:00–5:00 PM, B‑1). Other recorded actions include “Senate concurred” (9/15/2025).

Purpose and intent

The resolution urges the President and Congress to issue a sincere apology to the Vatican and members of the Catholic Church. It responds to dissemination, during the Catholic Church’s nine‑day mourning period after the death of Pope Francis (died April 21, 2025), of an image—allegedly AI‑generated—showing the U.S. President in papal vestments. The resolution characterizes the image’s publication during mourning as inappropriate, disrespectful to the Catholic faith and to the Pope as a foreign head of state, and calls for contrition.

Key provisions

Finds and states facts about: Pope Francis’s death (April 21, 2025); timing of an image posted on the President’s and White House social media accounts during the mourning period; public criticism and the President’s description of the image as “in jest.”

Concludes that the image’s production and dissemination were sacrilegious and an affront to the Catholic Church and persons of faith.

Memorializes (formally requests) the President of the United States and the U.S. Congress to express a sincere apology to the Vatican and members of the Catholic Church.

Directs that a copy of the resolution be presented to the President and to the members of the state’s Congressional delegation.

Who is affected / impact

Directly addresses the President, the U.S. Congress, the Vatican (as a foreign sovereign), and members of the Catholic Church.

As a memorial (symbolic) resolution, it has no binding legal effect; its impact is political and rhetorical—seeking a public apology and signaling the legislature’s position to constituents, federal officials, and international religious authorities.

Procedural / timeline notes

Filed/introduced: May 6, 2025 (text filed). Additional procedural entries through September and October 2025 list committee referrals and a scheduled hearing on 10/15/2025.

The document set provided contains inconsistent entries (see “Related/Notes” below). If enacted at the state level, this remains a non‑binding memorial; it does not compel federal action.

Related / contextual notes

The supplied file also contains unrelated text from a Massachusetts local act (House No. 4509) authorizing the Town of Nantucket to issue pension‑obligation bonds. That text is distinct in subject, state jurisdiction, and legal effect from the memorializing resolution summarized here. The presence of both items in the materials appears to be clerical/compilation overlap and should be treated as separate measures.

Bill