But it’s not a very effective one.

“Trump’s ongoing papal feud has failed to distract anyone from this picture he posted of himself as Jesus,” Colbert said as he showed the now-infamous image, which the president has since deleted:

Donald Trump/Truth Social

“Dude, you can’t compare yourself to Jesus,” Colbert pointed out. “For one thing, Jesus’ father loved him.”

The audience erupted at the dig.

Colbert also mocked Republican leaders who’ve defended Trump’s attacks on Leo, who has drawn the president’s wrath for speaking out against war as the president continues his campaign against Iran.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), for example, tried to correct the pope, explaining that the war in Iran is justified by “a very well settled matter of Christian theology” that’s called “the just war doctrine.”

Colbert could hardly believe what he was hearing.

“Correcting the pope on Catholic theology is a little like going into the woods and saying, ‘Uh, excuse me, Mr. Bear. Do you really think this is the appropriate place for you to be pooping?’”

Colbert ― himself a practicing Catholic ― then offered Johnson a correction on the “just war” doctrine requires meeting certain criteria before a war can be considered to have “just cause.”

“As opposed to Trump, who appears to have taken us to war just cuz,” Colbert said.

See more in his Thursday night monologue: