Religion/ Spirituality

Donald Trump's endorsing a controversial public figure to become the next head of the Catholic Church -- himself!

The President of the United States was asked Tuesday who he thinks should ascend to the role following Pope Francis' death ... and, he immediately responded he's his own No. 1 choice for the job.

It's clear President Trump is joking here ... following up the comment by saying he doesn't really have a preference -- though there's a cardinal from New York he thinks could handle the job.

Deion Sanders isn't letting his son's NFL draft waiting game ruin his spirits ... telling TMZ Sports the Man Upstairs is just as great as he was before Shedeur fell to the fifth round.

We caught up with the Colorado Buffaloes head coach and Hall of Famer at LAX fresh off Shedeur joining the Cleveland Browns with the No. 144 pick ... and despite all the chatter surrounding how it played out, he hammered home a message of faith.

Deion was in good spirits about it all ... saying, "You know how good God is" when asked if he was pleased with how things turned out.

Pastor T.D. Jakes suffering a heart attack during a November sermon was one of the dominoes that led to him taking on a reduced role at his megachurch.

Reps for Jakes tell TMZ ... the heart attack, emergency surgery and ensuing recovery are some of the reasons he's taking a step back from his role as pastor of The Potter's House of Dallas.

We're told Jakes spent a lot of time recovering from the heart issue, and it's affecting him to some degree.

Pastor T.D. Jakes is stepping back from his duties in his megachurch ... announcing his successors months after a medical incident onstage ended with him on the operating table.

The pastor -- who served as the head of The Potter's House church since he founded it back in 1996 -- told the church Sunday that he would be handing over his duties to Sarah Jakes Roberts and Toure Roberts, his daughter and her husband.

Jakes released a long statement about his departure ... citing the need to address major economic issues of the time as part of the impetus for his decision -- claiming he wants to focus on "serving as a bridge between community, culture, and corporate alliances to help position our nation for a stronger future."

President Donald Trump drew a a ton of eyes at Pope Francis' funeral Saturday ... and, not totally for the right reasons -- 'cause he wore a bright blue suit to the event, and it outraged a large section of social media.

As you know ... POTUS and First Lady Melania Trump were in Rome Saturday to pay their respects to the late head of the Catholic Church -- sitting front and center as he was laid to rest.

While the two were completely respectful during the proceedings, many online took issue with Trump's outfit ... 'cause he wore a blue suit -- not navy blue, but a color that stood out quite a bit more against the black outfits others in the crowd donned.

Pope Francis made it to his final resting place ... and President Trump and Melania watched in person, attending the late pontiff's funeral in Rome from the front row.

Francis -- who publicly opposed Trump's approach to several issues like immigration and climate change -- was laid to rest Saturday morning in a mostly plain coffin at the Basilica of St. Mary Major ... following a funeral mass at St. Peter's Square, where over a quarter of a million people were in attendance, according to Vatican News.

He's the first pope in more than a century to be buried outside of the Vatican ... the last one was Leo XIII, who died way back in 1903.

Al Sharpton just got done meeting with Wendy Williams at her assisted living facility ... and he says they prayed over her situation.

We got Al going in and out of the Coterie in New York City on Thursday -- the place Wendy likes to refer to as a "luxury prison" -- and our photog asked him about what he's doing to help Wendy and how she's holding up.

Wendy's fighting to get out of her guardianship and Al says they spent about 40 minutes together ... including time spent praying.

Justin Bieber's waxing poetic about religion ... telling fans the Bible and church alone aren't enough to save a person -- but, he says truly receiving God's forgiveness can.

The singer-songwriter shared multiple photos to his Instagram Story detailing his religious philosophy ... kicking it off by acknowledging he's flawed, but says God chooses to work through him every day regardless.

It's a long message -- definitely worth reading all the way through ... but, a few of Justin's lines will certainly perk up fans' ears, including one part where Justin talks about how guilt can only be assuaged by forging a relationship with the Lord Almighty, not by going through the motions of reading the Bible and going to church.

Three 6 Mafia legend Project Pat has a new purpose in life thanks to his newfound faith in God -- his once gangsta mentality has shifted to gospel!!!

The Memphis rapper and his pa'tna Mike Brown linked with TMZ Hip Hop at LAX this week and discussed his spiritual transition.

The year got off to a rough start for Pat -- his son, Patrick Houston Jr., was murdered in Memphis -- but Pat's been staying grounded, giving back.

A Catholic nursery school teacher in Italy ain't gettin' the unconditional love and forgiveness the Bible preaches ... 'cause parents of children at the school found out she made content for OnlyFans and got her fired.

Elena Maraga -- a 29-year-old woman working at a nursery school near Treviso, a town in Northern Italy -- was fired earlier this week, with the school claiming her adult content account "contrasts with the Catholic inspiration that guides the educational direction of the school."

This comes a few weeks after she was suspended from the school, when a student's father allegedly purchased photos from the account.

Trisha Paytas is confused AF -- she says she has no clue why folks think her unborn kid is the reincarnated Pope Francis, who just died Monday.

FYI, folks thought her first kid, Malibu, was Queen Elizabeth reincarnated since she popped out the day the Queen died in 2022 -- and now that wild theory’s back, the pregnant star's shutting it down on her "Just Trish" podcast, saying her womb isn’t some VIP pass for historic figures.

Trisha was totally baffled -- pointing out the Pope isn’t part of the British monarchy like the Queen was. But, she was informed that, apparently, it’s not just royals -- fans think any major figure who dies while she’s pregnant could be lining up for a comeback through her womb.

Justin Bieber is leaving Drew House behind and starting a new venture because he believes his fashion brand no longer represents him ... but sources connected to the company are calling BS on his claims.

Sources connected to Justin tell TMZ … Justin felt Drew House was no longer his and he wanted to distance himself from ex-manager Scooter Braun, who was very much involved in the company. The decision didn't happen overnight ... we're told there was a falling out at Drew House ... the result of some disagreements among the board of directors.

Justin, Scooter, Drew House co-founder Ryan Good, Churchome Pastor Judah Smith and David Bolno were all on the board ... but our Justin sources say trouble started in 2023, when Bolno was mentioned in news reports as a person of interest in the death of aspiring singer Laura Lozano. David was later cleared by police.

Pope Francis' final hours alive are being detailed by the Vatican ... including his last words, which were directed at his nurse and caregiver.

The Vatican says Francis, who died Monday morning, was hesitant to make a surprise appearance on Easter Sunday in Saint Peter's Square, where 50,000 Christians had gathered.

Francis went for a ride in the Popemobile and interacted with the masses ... but only after asking his nurse, Massimiliano Strappetti, "Do you think I can manage it?"

One of Justin Bieber's closest associates is taking a break from the singer ... and it's because of Justin's pastor Judah Smith.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Ryan Good, Justin's former road manager and the creative director at JB's fashion brand Drew House, hasn't spoken to Justin in over a year.

We're told Ryan and Justin haven't talked since Ryan left Churchome in Beverly Hills ... it's the church Bieber still belongs to, and where Judah serves as pastor.

The Vatican has released stunning images of Pope Francis lying in an open casket and wearing a red robe with the papal mitre -- a ceremonial headdress for bishops.

Check out the series of photos ... His Holiness seems super serene as he lies motionless inside the red casket to match his pontiff garb with a rosary laced between his crossed hands.

One pic shows a bishop standing over the body, staring down at Francis seemingly in disbelief that he's passed away.

Leonardo DiCaprio was a big fan of the late Pope Francis — praising his work on environmental issues and recalling a story about their 2016 meeting.

The iconic actor took to Instagram on Monday and posted a heartfelt message, with two photos showing their get-together at the Vatican. In one pic, they're seen shaking hands -- in the other, they're leafing through books together.

Their meeting roughly coincided with the release of the 2016 documentary about climate change, "Before The Flood," which DiCaprio co-produced. As you know, Leo is a major environmental activist.