US EditionDid Trump Officials Threaten Catholic Church? Vatican Drops White House Invite for Pope Leo XIV
Pentagon officials reportedly told the Vatican envoy the United States could use military power to answer Pope Leo XIV’s criticism of war.
- Shortly after Pope Leo XIV's state-of-the-world speech, Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby summoned Cardinal Christophe Pierre to the Pentagon in January to address the pontiff's diplomatic message.
- Administration officials reportedly viewed the Pope's advocacy for dialogue as a challenge to the 'Donroe Doctrine,' Trump's update of Monroe asserting unchallenged American dominion over the Western Hemisphere.
- During the meeting, Colby and colleagues asserted the United States 'has the military power to do whatever it wants in the world' while invoking the Avignon Papacy, a historical precedent of military coercion against the Vatican.
- The Vatican subsequently declined the Trump-Vance administration's invitation for Pope Leo to attend America's 250th anniversary celebration, citing foreign policy disagreements and rising diplomatic tensions.
- Instead of visiting the United States, Pope Leo XIV will travel to Lampedusa on July 4, 2026, as former diplomat Richard Haass and others denounce the administration for targeting the Catholic Church.
32 Articles
32 Articles
The Financial Times reported that officials of the Trump administration threatened Pope Leo of XIV in Washington, on the basis of rising tensions between the White House and the Vatican on the US's foreign policy, writes TVP World.
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The Trump administration is said to have threatened the Vatican with clear words. The dispute boiled up after a speech by Pope Leo XIV at the beginning of January. Now the Pontiff from the USA has also cancelled a trip to his home country.
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