The US “has the military power to do whatever it wants in the world,” a top official told the Vatican’s US representative. “The Catholic Church had better take its side.”
Pope Leo XIV leads his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Squarein Vatican City on April 8, 2026.
(Photo by Maria Grazia Picciarella/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Julia Conley
Apr 09, 2026
COMMON DREAMS
Pope Leo, the first American to be named the head of the worldwide Catholic Church, has spoken out against President Donald Trump’s policies frequently this year as the US has invaded Venezuela and Iran and threatened Cuba’s 10 million people with an oil blockade that has crippled the island’s economy and healthcare system—and according to new reports, his criticism has followed a warning from a Pentagon official who demanded the Vatican take the “side” of the White House in foreign disputes.
The Free Press originally reported this week that after the pope’s “State of the World” address on January 9, US Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby called Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the Vatican’s US diplomatic representative, to Washington..
In Latest Rebuke of Trump and Hegseth, Pope Says ‘God Does Not Bless Any Conflict’
Colby told Pierre that the US “has the military power to do whatever it wants in the world.”
“The Catholic Church had better take its side,” he said, according to The Free Press.
Another Pentagon official alluded to the Avignon papacy, a period in the 14th century in which the French monarchy ordered an attack on Pope Boniface VIII and forced seven successive popes to relocate from Rome to Avignon in France.
According to Christopher Hale of the Substack blog Letters From Leo, who independently confirmed the meeting had taken place, Vatican officials took the remarks about the Avignon papacy as “a threat to use military force against the Holy See.”
“Bringing up the Avignon papacy as a threat is truly insane,” said progressive organizer Jonathan Cohn.
The pope is unlikely to visit the US during Trump’s presidency as a result of the meeting, Hale reported. Pope Leo rejected an invitation to the White House for the United States’ 250th anniversary celebration on July 4, and is reportedly planning to visit the island of Lampedusa in the Mediterranean that day, where thousands of North African immigrants have arrived as they attempt to reach Europe.
The pope, reported Hale, “is too deliberate a man to have chosen that date by accident.”
The Pentagon meeting took place days after Pope Leo angered the Trump administration, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, by lamenting the fact that “a diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force, by either individuals or groups of allies.”
He made the comments days after the US invaded Venezuela, killing dozens of people and abducting President Nicolás Maduro, and as the US continued its boat bombing campaign that began last year in Latin America.
Since then, the pope has made numerous statements in recent weeks as the US joined Israel in bombing Iran and Trump issued increasingly bellicose threats to attack the country’s population of 93 million people.
He said on Tuesday, hours before a two-week ceasefire was reached between the US, Iran, and Israel, that Trump’s threat to wipe out the “whole civilization” of Iran was “truly unacceptable.”
“There are certainly issues of international law here, but even more, it is a moral question concerning the good of the people as a whole, in its entirety,” said Pope Leo. “Let’s look for solutions in a peaceful way.”
He also appeared to reject a call from Hegseth last month when the defense secretary asked Americans to pray for US troops in Iran “in the name of Jesus Christ.”
“Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” said the Pope in his homily on Palm Sunday days later. “He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: ‘Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood.’”
The New Republic reported that prior to the January meeting Pierre was called to, there were no public records of meetings between the Vatican and Pentagon officials, “let alone an instance in which the world power suggested that it could force the Bishop of Rome into captivity.”
When asked about the meeting on Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance—a Catholic convert—at first claimed not to know who the Vatican’s US representative was, before saying the reported was “uncorroborated.”
The Defense Department also denied The Free Press’ account of the meeting, saying the characterization was “highly exaggerated and distorted.”
Writer Pedro Gonzalez noted that former Trump adviser Steve Bannon discussed strategies to “take down” the late Pope Frances with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to files on Epstein that were released by the Department of Justice.
“It is for this and other reasons that people take seriously the report about the Trump-Vance administration threatening Pope Leo to bend the knee or else,” said Gonzalez. “These people are insane. Their hunger for power is bottomless. Moral resistance will be met with intimidation and threats, whether it’s in America or in Rome.”
Catholic Herald journalist confirms Pentagon delivered 'bitter lecture' to Vatican official
Pope Leo XIV leads the Angelus prayer from a window of the Apostolic Palace, at the Vatican, February 15, 2026. REUTERS/Remo Casilli
Sarah K. Burris
A journalist with The Catholic Herald has confirmed that the Pentagon attacked Pope Leo XIV and the Catholic Church. What appears to be in dispute, however, is which U.S. Pentagon official made the threat.
Niwa Limbu, an accredited Vatican correspondent, wrote on X that two sources said it was not Elbridge Colby who threatened the Vatican in a closed-door meeting this week. The DOD's undersecretary of defense for policy had been accused by The Free Press of being the source of a "bitter lecture."
"The United States has the military power to do whatever it wants in the world. The Catholic Church had better take its side," he was accused of saying.
But Limbu said that details about Colby are now in dispute.
In a post on X, Limbu said that Cardinal Christophe Pierre suggested over the phone that there was a media blackout over the topic. His Eminence commented, "I would prefer not to speak."
Holy See Press Office aide Matteo Bruni also declined to comment on the Pentagon meeting.
Writer and humorist Emily Zanotti, who is Catholic, argued that it isn't unusual for the Vatican to screw up PR.
She also had a few comments on getting down to the truth on Vatican issues.
"A few things can be true here: 1) It doesn’t quite make sense why the PENTAGON summoned a Vatican ambassador; 2) Bringing up Avignon is straight up insane, if it happened, which seems likely, and that’s aggressive towards Catholics," she wrote.
She also pointed out that she doesn't believe Christopher Hale is a reliable source. She wondered if "the Vatican probably just went 'WTF' and moved on, and until an actually reliable source, like @PillarCatholic confirms any Vatican response, you simply shouldn’t believe any suggestions."
Vice President JD Vance told reporters he wants to get the situation sorted out.
“I would actually like to talk to Cardinal Christophe Pierre and, frankly, to our people, to figure out what actually happened,” he said. “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.”
There is a larger conversation in the Catholic community because Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's brand of Christian nationalism, and the broader evangelical-focused "MAGA" movement, has made Catholics feel unwelcome. The DOD was criticized last week for having a "Protestant-only" Good Friday service. Typically, there isn't a mass on Good Friday. What was odd to some, however, is that the email sent to all staffers singled out Catholics when it didn't need to.
"There will be a Protestant Service (No Catholic Mass) for Good Friday today at the Pentagon Chapel,” the email read last week.
Anti-Catholicism dates back generations. President John F. Kennedy's candidacy was in question as voters wondered whether he was loyal to the U.S. or the Vatican.
Hegseth's pastor, Doug Wilson, has a history of anti-Catholicism that is well documented. As Right Wing Watch reported in March, Wilson explained in his ideal Christian nation, “public displays of idolatry” would be banned, including Catholic parades. Wilson is one of many in the Trump administration with some anti-Catholic sentiment and antisemitic beliefs, an MS NOW column explained.
Pope Leo XIV leads the Angelus prayer from a window of the Apostolic Palace, at the Vatican, February 15, 2026. REUTERS/Remo Casilli
Sarah K. Burris
April 09, 2026
ALTERNET
A journalist with The Catholic Herald has confirmed that the Pentagon attacked Pope Leo XIV and the Catholic Church. What appears to be in dispute, however, is which U.S. Pentagon official made the threat.
Niwa Limbu, an accredited Vatican correspondent, wrote on X that two sources said it was not Elbridge Colby who threatened the Vatican in a closed-door meeting this week. The DOD's undersecretary of defense for policy had been accused by The Free Press of being the source of a "bitter lecture."
"The United States has the military power to do whatever it wants in the world. The Catholic Church had better take its side," he was accused of saying.
But Limbu said that details about Colby are now in dispute.
In a post on X, Limbu said that Cardinal Christophe Pierre suggested over the phone that there was a media blackout over the topic. His Eminence commented, "I would prefer not to speak."
Holy See Press Office aide Matteo Bruni also declined to comment on the Pentagon meeting.
Writer and humorist Emily Zanotti, who is Catholic, argued that it isn't unusual for the Vatican to screw up PR.
She also had a few comments on getting down to the truth on Vatican issues.
"A few things can be true here: 1) It doesn’t quite make sense why the PENTAGON summoned a Vatican ambassador; 2) Bringing up Avignon is straight up insane, if it happened, which seems likely, and that’s aggressive towards Catholics," she wrote.
She also pointed out that she doesn't believe Christopher Hale is a reliable source. She wondered if "the Vatican probably just went 'WTF' and moved on, and until an actually reliable source, like @PillarCatholic confirms any Vatican response, you simply shouldn’t believe any suggestions."
Vice President JD Vance told reporters he wants to get the situation sorted out.
“I would actually like to talk to Cardinal Christophe Pierre and, frankly, to our people, to figure out what actually happened,” he said. “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.”
There is a larger conversation in the Catholic community because Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's brand of Christian nationalism, and the broader evangelical-focused "MAGA" movement, has made Catholics feel unwelcome. The DOD was criticized last week for having a "Protestant-only" Good Friday service. Typically, there isn't a mass on Good Friday. What was odd to some, however, is that the email sent to all staffers singled out Catholics when it didn't need to.
"There will be a Protestant Service (No Catholic Mass) for Good Friday today at the Pentagon Chapel,” the email read last week.
Anti-Catholicism dates back generations. President John F. Kennedy's candidacy was in question as voters wondered whether he was loyal to the U.S. or the Vatican.
Hegseth's pastor, Doug Wilson, has a history of anti-Catholicism that is well documented. As Right Wing Watch reported in March, Wilson explained in his ideal Christian nation, “public displays of idolatry” would be banned, including Catholic parades. Wilson is one of many in the Trump administration with some anti-Catholic sentiment and antisemitic beliefs, an MS NOW column explained.
Pentagon denies Trump official threatened war against the Pope
Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Prevost of the United States appears on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, May 8, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Prevost of the United States appears on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, May 8, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
April 09, 2026
ALTERNET
On Wednesday, reports emerged that the Trump Pentagon threatened to wage war against the Pope. The following day, however, the agency released a statement denying the claims, asserting that the meeting between Administration and Vatican officials was “respectful and reasonable.”
The denial of hostility comes in the wake of a story involving a closed-door meeting between Under Secretary Elbridge Colby and Cardinal Christophe Pierre — Pope Leo XIV’s then-ambassador to the United States — in which the former told the latter, “America has the military power to do whatever it wants in the world. The Catholic Church had better take its side.”
According to Pope Leo XIV chronicler Christopher Hale, as tensions rose, one U.S. official “reached for a fourteenth-century weapon and invoked the Avignon Papacy, the period when the French Crown used military force to bend the bishop of Rome to its will.”
Supposedly, this “bitter lecture” from the Trump Administration came in response to the president’s anger over the Pope’s January state-of-the-world address, particularly his advocacy for “a diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force.”
Trump and the Pentagon took this as a challenge to the president’s so-called “Donroe Doctrine,” a portmanteau of “Donald” with the “Monroe Doctrine,” the latter of which historically asserted American supremacy over the Western Hemisphere.
But now, while a Pentagon statement confirms that the meeting happened, it denies the belligerent tone.
“We can confirm that Cardinal Christophe Pierre had a meeting on January 22, 2026, at the Pentagon where he and several officials had discussed current affairs,” the statement read, but went on to claim that the “characterization of the meeting is highly exaggerated and distorted. The meeting between Pentagon and Vatican officials was a respectful and reasonable discussion. We have nothing but the highest regard and welcome continued dialogue with the Holy See.”
Whatever the content of the meeting, it was an unprecedented event, as there is no previously documented case of a Vatican official being summoned to the Pentagon.
On Wednesday, reports emerged that the Trump Pentagon threatened to wage war against the Pope. The following day, however, the agency released a statement denying the claims, asserting that the meeting between Administration and Vatican officials was “respectful and reasonable.”
The denial of hostility comes in the wake of a story involving a closed-door meeting between Under Secretary Elbridge Colby and Cardinal Christophe Pierre — Pope Leo XIV’s then-ambassador to the United States — in which the former told the latter, “America has the military power to do whatever it wants in the world. The Catholic Church had better take its side.”
According to Pope Leo XIV chronicler Christopher Hale, as tensions rose, one U.S. official “reached for a fourteenth-century weapon and invoked the Avignon Papacy, the period when the French Crown used military force to bend the bishop of Rome to its will.”
Supposedly, this “bitter lecture” from the Trump Administration came in response to the president’s anger over the Pope’s January state-of-the-world address, particularly his advocacy for “a diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force.”
Trump and the Pentagon took this as a challenge to the president’s so-called “Donroe Doctrine,” a portmanteau of “Donald” with the “Monroe Doctrine,” the latter of which historically asserted American supremacy over the Western Hemisphere.
But now, while a Pentagon statement confirms that the meeting happened, it denies the belligerent tone.
“We can confirm that Cardinal Christophe Pierre had a meeting on January 22, 2026, at the Pentagon where he and several officials had discussed current affairs,” the statement read, but went on to claim that the “characterization of the meeting is highly exaggerated and distorted. The meeting between Pentagon and Vatican officials was a respectful and reasonable discussion. We have nothing but the highest regard and welcome continued dialogue with the Holy See.”
Whatever the content of the meeting, it was an unprecedented event, as there is no previously documented case of a Vatican official being summoned to the Pentagon.
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