{"id":6089,"date":"2026-04-10T20:47:53","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T20:47:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/conservative-politics.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/10\/inside-the-infamous-meeting-between-the-vatican-and-the-pentagon\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T20:47:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T20:47:53","slug":"inside-the-infamous-meeting-between-the-vatican-and-the-pentagon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/conservative-politics.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/10\/inside-the-infamous-meeting-between-the-vatican-and-the-pentagon\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside The Infamous Meeting Between The Vatican And The Pentagon"},"content":{"rendered":"
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WASHINGTON\u2014During a January meeting at the Pentagon, Vatican officials met with U.S. military leaders and discussed key national security objectives for the United States, according to a War Department official who was in the room.<\/p>\n

Months later, the Free Press published an \u201cexpose\u201d describing a reportedly contentious January meeting between a Vatican diplomat and Pentagon principal, as rumors of a rift between Washington and Rome have swirled.<\/p>\n

But the Vatican, the Pentagon, and the American Ambassador to the Holy See all say the meeting was cordial and respectful. The parties involved have all made a public show of being friendly. And the contentious topic at the heart of the fracas \u2014 Pope Leo XIV\u2019s criticism of military strikes in Iran \u2014 seems not to have come up at all.<\/p>\n

So, what really happened?<\/p>\n

The principals at the meeting were Undersecretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby and Cardinal Christophe Pierre, then the Vatican\u2019s Apostolic Nuncio \u2014 functionally ambassador \u2014 to the United States. Both Colby and Pierre had staffers with them, The Daily Wire has learned.<\/p>\n

American officials conveyed the administration\u2019s position and intentions on Venezuela, Cuba, and other countries, and listened to the Vatican\u2019s views on these topics.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an attempt to engage seriously and respectfully with the Holy See\u2019s position on matters relevant to the Department of War,\u201d a War Department official who in the room for the January 22 meeting told The Daily Wire.<\/p>\n

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Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby @USWPColby<\/a> had a substantive, respectful, and professional meeting with Cardinal Pierre, the then-Papal Nuncio, and his team on January 22, 2026. During the cordial meeting, they discussed a range of topics, including issues of\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/McI0sB2wKC<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) April 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cWe naturally, at the Department of War, in the Policy office, wanted to have a respectful discussion with the Vatican,\u201d the official said. \u201cPart of the role of Policy, in the Department of War, is to have dialogue between other nations on military matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is a stark contrast to The Free Press\u2019s April 6 report<\/a> that the Pentagon had summoned Pierre to the meeting, during which Colby and others chastised the cardinal and insisted that the United States \u201chas the military power to do whatever it wants \u2014 and that the Church had better take its side.\u201d Citing unnamed sources, the story also notes that Colby invoked the Avignon Papacy, a period in the 14th century in which the Holy See moved from Rome to France, where a series of popes were largely bent to the will of the French monarchy.<\/p>\n

Mattia Ferraresi, the freelance contributor who authored The Free Press piece, suggested the Avignon Papacy reference was a veiled threat that the United States was willing to use its military power to \u201cdominate the papal authority.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ferraresi, who told The Daily Wire on Friday he stands by his reporting, also casts Colby as belonging to \u201ca cadre of Catholic and ostensibly dovish officials\u201d allied with Vice President JD Vance \u201cstruggling to reconcile their isolationist instincts with the aggressive posture of a president who, within a single year, has bombed eight countries \u2014 with no sign of stopping.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Avignon Papacy storyline was amplified by Democrat operative Christopher Hale, who suggested in now viral tweets<\/a> that \u201cmany in the Vatican saw the Pentagon\u2019s reference to an Avignon papacy as a threat to use military force against the Holy See.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

In a statement, the Pentagon says Ferraresi\u2019s characterization of the meeting was \u201chighly exaggerated and distorted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not unusual for Mr. Colby to have meetings with ambassadors,\u201d that official noted, referencing the suggestion that the meeting was unprecedented. \u201cHe has often, at least one or two meetings with ambassadors from other nations a week. It\u2019s certainly not unusual that we meet with ambassadors on these matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe invited them because we were interested in hearing the Vatican\u2019s views,\u201d the official explained, \u201cand we wanted to convey the administration\u2019s position, and intentions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe talked about key American security objectives. Venezuela had just happened. We talked about that. We talked about this administration\u2019s approach towards Europe, and NATO, Latin America. Also Cuba, Venezuela; the Vatican\u2019s obviously very active in both those nations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian Burch, the United States Ambassador to the Holy See, spoke with Pierre on Thursday and shared their conversation in a public statement, saying that Pierre told him there was \u201cno threat of Avignon\u201d and that a \u201cfrank and cordial meeting that took place two months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

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It could be said the US-Holy See relationship is much bigger than mere diplomatic relations. It is rooted in a civilizational idea that the Catholic Church helped advance, which the U.S. proudly inherited, and carries forth today. https:\/\/t.co\/V7rfCU1jIY<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Ambassador Brian Burch (@BrianBurchUSA) April 10, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cAs expected, he confirmed that recent media characterizations of his meeting with Undersecretary Colby are \u2018fabrications\u2019 that were \u2018just invented,’\u201d Burch said. \u201cGiven 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cardinal and Burch have spoken regularly since Burch was nominated to become ambassador to the Holy See, Burch noted.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we disagree, we have done so with sincerity and respect,\u201d he added. \u201cI believe the same could be said of his January meeting with Undersecretary Colby. It\u2019s regrettable that some journalists and online agitators chose to exploit a routine meeting to sow division between the Holy See and the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Pentagon also characterized the meeting as \u201ccordial,\u201d \u201csubstantive, respectful, and professional\u201d in a statement released Thursday \u2014 and called The Free Press report \u201cgrossly false and distorted.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey 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,\u201d the Pentagon statement said. \u201cCardinal Pierre expressed his appreciation for the outreach and both sides looked forward to continued open and respectful dialogue.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Vice President Vance, asked about the matter on Wednesday, told the press that he had not yet seen the reporting on the meeting: \u201cI\u2019d like to actually talk to Cardinal Christophe Pierre, and frankly, to our people, to figure out what actually happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pope Leo has repeatedly weighed in on the conflict in Iran, expressing hopes that the United States and Iran can come to an agreement \u201cin a peaceful way\u201d and condemning President Donald Trump for warning that a \u201cwhole civilization\u201d would be wiped out if Iran did not agree to a peace plan.<\/p>\n

But despite that criticism, both the White House and Vatican insist the parties have a positive relationship.<\/p>\n

\u201cCatholic Americans resoundingly supported President Trump in 2024, and the president\u2019s administration has a positive relationship with the Vatican, which was strengthened when Vice President Vance attended the Pope Leo XIV\u2019s inaugural mass last year,\u201d White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said. \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have nothing but the highest regard and welcome continued dialogue with the Holy See,\u201d the Pentagon added.<\/p>\n

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni also denied the reporting, saying Friday<\/a> that, \u201cAs confirmed by His Eminence Christophe Pierre \u2026 his meeting with Mr. Elbridge Andrew Colby was part of the papal representative\u2019s regular mission and provided the opportunity for an exchange of views on matters of mutual interest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe narrative offered by some media outlets about this meeting is completely untrue,\u201d Bruni added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n