The Pentagon summoned Pope Leo XIV's personal envoy to the United States, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, for a meeting in January after the Pope criticized states pursuing armed conflict — a session Vatican officials described as a "bitter lecture," The Free Press reports, as cited by The Independent.
Pope Leo XIV has also repeatedly called for a just peace in Ukraine, making him a consistent critic of what he has described as force-based diplomacy replacing dialogue — a position that has put him at odds with Washington on two active fronts simultaneously.
The meeting followed the Pope's annual address to the Vatican's diplomatic corps, in which he criticized states seeking conflict around the globe. The Pentagon requesting a meeting with a Vatican official is "unprecedented," according to The Free Press.
Vatican officials briefed on the exchange told the publication that Pentagon representatives warned the Church that the United States has the military power to do whatever it wants — and that the Church would do better to get on their side.
The Pentagon took particular issue with the Pope's statement 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," according to The Free Press. Officials also reportedly objected to Pope Leo's apparent questioning of the "Donroe Doctrine" — Trump's update to the Monroe Doctrine, which establishes the US as the unchallenged power in the Western Hemisphere.
The War Department disputed the account. "The Free Press's 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," a War Department official told The Independent.
Pope declines 4 July invitation
Following the meeting, Pope Leo XIV — an American by birth and the first American Pope — declined Trump's invitation to attend events marking the United States' 250th anniversary. He will instead spend 4 July on Lampedusa, a small Mediterranean island that serves as an entry point for African migrants attempting to reach Europe.
A Vatican official cited by The Free Press said the Pope has no plans to visit the US while Trump remains in office. "The Pope may well never visit the United States under this administration," the official said.
"Truly unacceptable"
The standoff has continued beyond the January meeting. After Trump posted a threat on Truth Social to wipe out Iran's entire civilization, Pope Leo called the words "truly unacceptable."
"Today, as we all know, there has also been this threat against the entire people of Iran. And this is truly unacceptable," the Pope told reporters in Italy. He added: "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."
Hours after the Pope's statement, Trump announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran. Pope Leo subsequently welcomed the announcement: "In light of these past hours of great tension for the Middle East and for the whole world, I welcome with satisfaction... the announcement of an immediate two-week truce."
The Pope also responded to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's March call for Americans to pray for US victory in Iran "in the name of Jesus Christ," saying that Jesus "does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them."
On Easter Sunday, the Pope called for global peace: "On this day of celebration, let us abandon every desire for conflict, domination, and power, and implore the Lord to grant his peace to a world ravaged by wars." Trump, on the same day, issued a profanity-laden threat against Iranian infrastructure on Truth Social.
