Defense

Pentagon denies threatening Vatican during January meeting with Holy See’s diplomat

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by Filip Timotija - 04/09/26 6:47 PM ET

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by Filip Timotija - 04/09/26 6:47 PM ET

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The Pentagon has denied threatening the Vatican during a late January meeting with the Holy See’s then-envoy to the U.S., as Pope Leo XIV has warned against the growing use of military action in recent months.

The Pentagon’s policy office head, Elbridge Colby, met with Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the Vatican’s former diplomat to the U.S., on Jan. 22 at the Pentagon, during which he warned the then-envoy that the U.S. military has the “power to do whatever it wants — and that the Church had better take its side,” The Free Press reported Monday.

The outlet, citing unnamed sources, reported that a U.S. official raised the threat of the “Avignon Papacy,” referencing the period from 1309 to 1376, when France’s King Philip IV captured the Pope and subsequent popes resided in Avignon instead of Rome.

The Pentagon slammed the report as “grossly false and distorted,” saying that Colby had a “substantive, respectful and professional” meeting with Pierre and his team.

“During the cordial meeting, they discussed a range of topics, including issues of morality in foreign policy, the logic of the U.S. National Security Strategy, Europe, Africa, Latin America and other topics,” the Pentagon said on social media. “Cardinal Pierre expressed his appreciation for the outreach and both sides looked forward to continued open and respectful dialogue.”

The U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch, said he spoke with the cardinal on Thursday and that Pierre “confirmed” that recent reports of the meeting with Colby “are ‘fabrications’ that were ‘just invented.’”

“Given the intelligence and seriousness of Mr. Colby, I was likewise not surprised when His Eminence acknowledged there were no threats of any kind in the meeting,” Burch said in a post on the social platform X. “‘It was a frank and cordial meeting that took place two months ago.’ Threat of Avignon? None.’

“When we disagree, we have done so with sincerity and respect. I believe the same could be said of his January meeting with Undersecretary Colby,” Burch said. “It’s regrettable that some journalists and online agitators chose to exploit a routine meeting to sow division between the Holy See and the United States.”

The U.S. Embassy to the Holy See echoed Burch’s comments and added that “deliberate misrepresentation of these routine meetings sows unfounded division and misunderstanding. Our relationship remains strong and productive.”

However, reports on the meeting coincide with the Vatican’s worries around the U.S. government’s military interventions overseas, including the operation during which Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro was captured. More recently, Leo, the first U.S.-born pope, warned against President Trump’s Tuesday threat that a “whole civilization will die tonight” in Iran.

The White House has argued that Trump’s foreign policy actions have made the world safer, “more stable and more prosperous.”

“Catholic Americans resoundingly supported President Trump in 2024, and the President’s administration has a positive relationship with the Vatican, which was strengthened when Vice President Vance attended the Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural mass last year,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a Thursday statement to The Hill.

“The President has done more than any of his predecessors to save lives and resolve global conflicts and following the completion of his military objectives in Iran, he is hopeful that the agreement under discussion can lead to a lasting peace in the Middle East,” Kelly added.

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