JD Vance Confronted With Report the Pentagon Allegedly Threatened Vatican with Military Force (original) (raw)

Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday was confronted on Wednesday with a recent report that the Pentagon threatened the Vatican with military force.

A Monday report from The Free Press detailed the rocky relationship between President Donald Trump’s White House and Pope Leo XIV, the Holy See’s first U.S.-born Pope. According to the report, the Pentagon invited the Holy See ambassador to the U.S., Cardinal Christophe Pierre, for a meeting in response to a recent speech by the Pope.

During that meeting, U.S. officials reportedly complained about the speech and took exception to Pope Leo’s indirect shots at the president. One of those officials, the report continued, even referenced the Avignon Papacy of the 14th century — a period largely defined by the French Crown imposing its will to influence the Catholic Church.

While speaking to the media in Budapest, Hungary, Vance was asked by a reporter if the story was “correct.” Vance began by stating he didn’t know who Pierre was. When he was informed that Pierre was the former Holy See ambassador, that appeared to jog his memory.

“Oh, OK, OK, I’ve met him before,” Vance continued. “Sorry, I just didn’t remember the name. I’ve never seen this reporting. I’d like to actually talk to Cardinal Christophe Pierre, and frankly, to our people, to figure out what actually happened. 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.”

Independent reporter Christopher Hale later added that the Vatican viewed the mention of the Avignon Papacy as a threat.

UPDATE: Letters from Leo can now independently confirm that the meeting took place — and that the Vatican was so alarmed by the Pentagon’s tactics that Pope Leo XIV shelved plans to visit the United States later this year.

Many in the Vatican saw the Pentagon’s reference to an… https://t.co/nOWTWF4oI0

— Christopher Hale (@ChristopherHale) April 8, 2026

Watch above via C-SPAN

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