A meeting between the Pentagon and a Vatican ambassador has raised eyebrows after conflicting reports indicate tensions may be rising between the White House and the Vatican.
A source close to Pope Leo XIV told NBC Chicago the meeting between the Pentagon and Cardinal Christophe Pierre was “most unpleasant and confrontational.”
The information came amid reports from The Free Press, which stated Vatican officials described the meeting as “a bitter lecture warning that the United States has the military power to do whatever it wants—and that the Church had better take its side.”
But the Pentagon denied such claims, calling the Free Press’ characterization of it “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 NBC News.
Pope Leo XIV, history’s first U.S.-born pope, who is from Chicago, has delivered pointed remarks in recent weeks, escalating the tone of his opposition to the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran.
In some of his strongest comments yet against the war, Leo on Tuesday called U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to destroy Iranian civilization “truly unacceptable” and said any attacks on civilian infrastructure violate international law.
He was referring to Trump’s threat that a “whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran failed to meet his latest deadline to strike a deal that includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Leo also delivered an Easter appeal for peace and called on people to reject war, “especially a war which many people have said is an unjust war, which is continuing to escalate, and which is not resolving anything.”
He invited all people of good will to contact their political leaders and congressional representatives to remind them that attacks on civilian infrastructure are “against international law” and also are a “sign of the hatred, the division, the destruction human beings are capable of, and we all want to work for peace.”
Last week for the first time, Leo publicly named Trump in saying he hoped the U.S. president was truly “looking for an off-ramp.”
The Vatican has a tradition of diplomatic neutrality and it is rare for a pope to name a political leader or country specifically in a critical way. But the war in Iran has nudged even a reserved pope to break with typical protocol.
“We have a worldwide economic crisis, an energy crisis, (a) situation in the Middle East of great instability, which is only provoking more hatred throughout the world,” Pope Leo said.
The Vatican is particularly concerned about how the Iran conflict has spread to a renewed war in Lebanon between Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant Hezbollah group. The Vatican fears for Christians in southern Lebanon, who are an important bulwark for the church in the region.
Earlier in the day, the Vatican released a special message from Leo to the residents of Debel, Lebanon after a convoy carrying over 40 tons of aid led by the Vatican was prevented from arriving with an Easter shipment. It was canceled for what Lebanon’s Maronite Church said were “security reasons.”
In the message, Leo expressed solidarity with the “injustices” that the Christians of southern Lebanon are enduring and compared them to Christ’s suffering.
“In your misfortune, in the injustice you endure, in the feeling of abandonment you experience, you are very close to Jesus. You are close to Him also on this Easter Day when He conquered the forces of evil, and which resonates for you as a promise of the future,” read the message, which was written in French and was signed by the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
Leo visited Lebanon late last year on his first international trip as pope.
A ceasefire deal to pause the war in Iran appeared to hang by a thread Wednesday after the Islamic Republic closed the Strait of Hormuz again in response to Israeli attacks in Lebanon. The White House demanded that the channel be reopened and sought to keep peace talks on track.
Hence then, the article about source calls pentagon meeting with vatican official most unpleasant was published today ( ) and is available on NBC Chicago ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Source calls Pentagon meeting with Vatican official ‘most unpleasant' )
Also on site :
- U.S. government is spending $88 billion a month in interest on national debt—equal to spending on defense and education combined
- Goldfish Is Offering Fans Free Crackers for Tax Day—Here’s How To Claim Yours
- John Travolta Gushes Over Daughter Ella Bleu As She Flaunts Strong Family Genes in Rare Red Carpet Photos