Both the US Department of Defense and the Holy See have issued firm denials of reports alleging that American defense officials made threatening remarks toward a senior papal diplomat during a January meeting in Washington.
The controversy stems from a January 22, 2026, encounter between US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby and Cardinal Christophe Pierre, then the Vatican’s apostolic nuncio to the United States.
According to a report by The Free Press, US officials purportedly admonished Cardinal Pierre in a “bitter lecture,” asserting that “the United States has the military power to do whatever it wants” and urging the Vatican to align itself with US military policy. The same report suggested one official even referenced the Avignon Papacy—a 14th-century episode in which popes lived under French influence—as a veiled warning about the Church’s independence.
Official denials from both sides
Both governments have rejected the account as false. In a statement on Friday, the Pentagon dismissed the report as “grossly false,” “highly exaggerated,” and “distorted,” describing the meeting instead as a “substantive, respectful, and professional” discussion focused on foreign policy.
The Vatican’s Press Office echoed that rejection, calling the reports “completely untrue.” Cardinal Pierre himself is said to have “emphatically denied” the allegations in a conversation with US Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch, reportedly describing the story as “fabricated” and “invented.”
“Diplomacy based on force“
The claims surfaced amid mounting tension between the Trump administration and Pope Leo XIV, the first US-born pontiff, whose outspoken criticism of American foreign policy has drawn unease in Washington. The Pope has repeatedly denounced what he calls “diplomacy based on force,” condemning recent US military actions in Iran.
Relations further soured when the Vatican indefinitely postponed the pontiff’s planned July 4, 2026, visit to the United States, originally intended to coincide with the nation’s 250th anniversary. Instead, Pope Leo announced plans to spend the date visiting migrant communities on the Italian island of Lampedusa.
US officials have also bristled at the Pope’s criticism of the so-called “Donroe Doctrine,” President Trump’s foreign policy framework emphasizing American primacy in the Western Hemisphere.
US Vice President JD Vance addressed the recent reports of alleged Pentagon threats to Cardinal Christophe Pierre during a press encounter in Hungary on April 8, 2026. He admitted not knowing who Pierre was initially but promised to investigate the claims personally, describing the meeting as one he would “look into”.
Vance has previously brushed off criticisms from Pope Leo XIV, including on US policies like immigration and the “Donroe Doctrine.” In a May 2025 interview, he downplayed papal critiques, stating, “I try not to play the politicization of the Pope game,” emphasizing the Church’s focus on “saving souls” over politics.
While both Washington and the Vatican have moved swiftly to discredit The Free Press report, the incident underscores the growing strain between two powerful institutions navigating deep policy and moral divides.
