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In an escalation of tensions between the US and Vatican City, the Pentagon took the unprecedented step of summoning Pope Leo XIV's ambassador to the US for a closed-door meeting, where American officials issued a pointed warning to the Church to align with US interests, according to a report by the US-based outlet The Free Press. The Vatican envoy in January was reminded of America's military power after Pope Leo XIV delivered a speech saying that diplomacy based on consensus was "being replaced by diplomacy based on force".
Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pontiff and current sovereign of Vatican City, has been a critic of the Donald Trump administration's immigration policies and its aggressive foreign policy stance.
The flashpoint emerged after the Pope's annual address to the Vatican diplomatic corps on January 9, in which he warned that "war is back in vogue" and criticised diplomacy rooted in force, global dominance, and the mistreatment of migrants. Top Pentagon officials, including Under Secretary of Defense (now War) for Policy Elbridge Colby, interpreted the speech as a direct challenge to the Trump administration, according to the report in The Free Press.
The Pentagon reportedly summoned Cardinal Christophe Pierre, then serving as the Pope's personal envoy to the US, and delivered what Vatican sources described as a sharp dressing-down. The Holy See was told to "take America's side".
Vatican officials in turn viewed the meeting and the messaging as an implicit threat to the Holy See involving US military might. This was followed by the papacy of Pope Leo declining an invitation from US Vice President JD Vance to the celebrations of America's 250th anniversary celebrations. Instead, the Pope would reportedly be visiting Lampedusa, an Italian island that has become a major landing point for North African migrants and refugees trying to make it to Europe.
The US Vice President has, however, refuted the claims and has said that he would look into the claims made in the report.
WHAT DID THE POPE SAY THAT INFLAMED TEMPERS IN PENTAGON?
The spark that ignited tensions in US-Vatican relations was Pope Leo XIV's address to the Vatican Diplomatic Corps on January 9, 2026, in Vatican City. It was the new Pope's first major "State of the World" speech as the pontiff.
In an address, where he discussed wide-ranging issues, the Pope warned of a troubling global shift away from dialogue and multilateral cooperation toward raw power politics.
He criticised the growing reliance on military force in international affairs. Pope Leo stated that "a diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force," adding that "war is back in vogue, and a zeal for war is spreading." He further lamented that the post-World War II principle prohibiting nations from using force to violate the borders of others "has been completely undermined".
According to The Free Press, senior Pentagon officials interpreted these remarks as a direct challenge to the Trump administration.
In response, Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby summoned Cardinal Christophe Pierre, then serving as the Holy See's ambassador (apostolic nuncio) to the US, to the Pentagon in January for a closed-door meeting.
PENTAGON OFFICIALS DEMAND CATHOLIC CHURCH ALIGN WITH THE US
Days after Pope Leo XIV delivered the speech, US official Colby summoned Cardinal Christophe Pierre to a closed-door meeting at the Pentagon.
Vatican officials described the encounter to The Free Press as a bitter lecture in which the Pope's address was dissected line by line and interpreted as a hostile message toward the Trump administration.
According to the report, Colby delivered a blunt warning, "The United States has the military power to do whatever it wants in the world. The Catholic Church had better take its side".
In a particularly provocative escalation, a US official referenced the 14th-century Avignon Papacy, the period from 1309 to 1377 when seven successive popes were forced to shift the papal seat to France's Avignon, under heavy influence of the French crown.
Vatican officials interpreted the historical reference as a veiled threat of US military pressure against the Holy See.
HOW DID THE VATICAN REACT TO THE MEETING WITH US OFFICIALS?
The Vatican was deeply alarmed by the meeting, with many officials seeing the reference to the Avignon Papacy as an implicit threat involving American military might.
As a result, Pope Leo XIV cancelled all planned travel plans to the US and declined an invitation from VP JD Vance to attend America's 250th anniversary celebrations on July 4. Instead, he arranged a trip to Lampedusa, the Italian island that is a major landing point for North African migrants and refugees trying to make it to Europe.
The White House has denied any intimidation.
A War Department official was quoted by the US magazine, The New Republic, as telling reporters that The Free Press's characterisation of the meeting was "highly exaggerated and distorted". It described the discussion as "respectful and reasonable."
The official added that the US holds the Holy See in the "highest regard" and welcomes continued dialogue.
On Wednesday (April 8), JD Vance said he would review the reports concerning the alleged confrontation.
Speaking in Hungary, Vance was asked about the report by The Free Press.
"I would actually like to talk to Cardinal Christophe Pierre and, frankly, to our people, to figure out what actually happened," Vance was reported by the press agency, Andalou Agency, as saying during a visit to Hungary.
"I think it's always a bad idea to offer an opinion on stories that are unconfirmed and uncorroborated, so I'm not going to do that," he added.
For now, tensions between Washington and the Vatican remain strained, which started with the Pope criticising Trump's policies. While Trump's deputy has refuted the claims of the warning to the papacy, the Pope's stance on war, peace and the importance of diplomacy is something the superpower must not ignore.
- Ends
Published By:
Shounak Sanyal
Published On:
Apr 9, 2026 13:54 IST
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