ɪn dʒuːlˈaɪ tˈuː θˈaʊzənd twˈɛnti tˈuː, pˈeɪp wʌzðə sˈɛntɚɹ əvə sˈoʊʃəl mˈiːdiːə skˈændəl, fˈɑːloʊɪŋ ɐ fˈeɪsbʊk kˈɑːmɛnt baɪ ðə mˌɛtɹəpˈɑːlɪtən ˈɑːpɚɹə kˈoːɹəs sˈɛləbɹˌeɪɾɪŋ ðə nˈuː jˈɔːɹk sˈɪɾi pɹˈaɪd pɚɹˈeɪd, pˈeɪp ɹᵻspˈɑːndᵻd ðæt hiː wɪl nˌɑːt ɹᵻtˈɜːn tə ðɪ ˌɪnstɪtˈuːʃən, ænd ɪŋklˈuːdᵻd ðə sˈɛntəns "aɪ fˈiːl sˈɑːɹi fɔːɹ ðɪs wˈʌndɚfəl sˈɪɾi!"
In July 2022, Pape was the centre of a social media scandal, following a Facebook comment by the Metropolitan Opera Chorus celebrating the New York City Pride Parade, Pape responded that he will not return to the institution, and included the sentence "I feel sorry for this wonderful city!"