“The Vatican had better be on the side of the US”

The meeting was held behind closed doors, but it has emerged that Undersecretary Colby told the nuncio that USA “it has the military power that allows it to do whatever it wants in the world.” The Holy See, he warned, “had better” take his side.

The Pentagon call followed the statements of the Pontiff, the American Robert Prevostin his speech of January 9 to Diplomatic corps prominent in the Holy See, according to The Free Press. The Pope warned that “diplomacy based on force” is taking over dialogue.

The text of Leo XIV’s speech highlighted that “war is becoming fashionable“. It denounced that the principle that “prohibited nations from using force to violate the borders of other countries” had been undermined.

The Pope resorted to the message of Saint Augustine in The City of God to point out the dangers of exacerbated nationalisms and “the distortion of the ideal of the political leader.” “Peace is sought through weapons as a condition for imposing one’s own dominion,” he declared.

He called for a peace sustained by dialogue and understanding in the face of a imposed by weapons. “Because those who use force to impose peace only seek victory,” he said.

He talked about Holy Landfrom the strip of Gazaof Venezuela and from other regions that live at war. He also highlighted events that have been key to resolving protracted conflicts and thanks to which lasting peace has been achieved.

The Trump Administration was alluded to in the papal message. According to media close to the Pentagon, the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegsethand high military commanders felt aggrieved for the allusions to the war drift.

It was not difficult to associate passages of speech with the capture of Maduroactions against vessels in the Caribbean, or threats to conquer Greenland and annex Canada. In Washington the text was analyzed line by line and it was decided to send an unequivocal signal to the Holy See.

The Pentagon warns the Vatican

Undersecretary Colby summoned Cardinal Pierre to the meeting at the Pentagon: the Trump Administration He wanted to show his discomfort at the criticism made by the Holy Father. “The Catholic Church must decide which side it is on,” Colby declared.

Witnesses to the meeting reported that an American officer present reminded the cardinal that he had historical precedents of the use of force to subdue the Holy See. It referred to the conflict between Pope Boniface VIII and King Philip IV of France in 1303.

After a tug-of-war to demonstrate who held power, the French troops They stormed the papal palace and they arrested the Pope. Military power prevailed over religious power and, after the death of Boniface VIII, the Holy See moved to Avignon.

The information has reached the media through anonymous sources from the nunciature. consulted on Pentagon Regarding the details, a spokesperson reports that the tone of the content is exaggerated and that the meeting was “cordial and respectful.”

He Vatican He received the message as an express threat that the United States would not tolerate the Church’s interference in its political affairs. As far as is known, this is the first time that US representatives have conveyed a similar warning to the Catholic Church.

Voltage escalation

The relationship between the US and the Holy See has deteriorated since the election of the successor of Francisco in May 2025. In November, Prevost publicly criticized ICE’s anti-immigration raids, calling them “inhumane.”

It is assumed that Washington y Roma They kept their differences of opinion private until the Holy Father’s aforementioned speech before the Diplomatic Corps in January. The threat conveyed from the Pentagon marked the climax of the crisis.

These events explain the tone of the gestures that both parties have exchanged since then: on January 21, the president Donald Trump announced the formation of a Peace Board for Gaza and formally invited the Vatican along with 60 other States.

On February 17, Monsignor Pietro ParolinSecretary of State, publicly declared that “the Holy See would not participate in the Peace Board.” He explained that “the management of the crisis corresponded to the UN.”

A few days later, the vice president JD Vance He obtained a papal audience. Although the reason was not made public, he surely tried to bring closer the positions between Rome and Washington.

As a gesture of goodwill, he formally invited Leo XIV to attend the celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. The pontiff rejected this new invitation. On July 4th you will visit the island of Lampedusa to learn up close the most dramatic face of immigration.

The joint attack by the US and Israel on Iran has raised the tone of criticism. Since the war began, Robert Prevost He has taken advantage of every public appearance to ask that the guns be silenced.

In the homily of Palm Sunday declared that “Jesus does not listen to those who provoke war in their prayers“. He was thus responding to statements by Secretary of Defense Hegseth who had said “God is on our side” when referring to intervention against Iran.

Throughout his entire first Easter week As pontiff, he denounced in his homilies “the dark hour” that the world is experiencing. He lamented “a humanity on its knees for so many examples of brutality” and described as “blasphemous” those rulers who “want to win by killing” or “perceive themselves as powerful when they dominate.”

This same Tuesday, speaking with journalists in Castel GandolfoLeo XIV called it unacceptable to talk about “annihilating an entire civilization.” In addition, he asked his followers to “find how to communicate perhaps” with the “congressmen” and the “authorities” to deny the war.

This Thursday, he received in private audience his new nuncio to the United States, Monsignor Gabriele Cacciawho replaced Cardinal Pierre in March. The agenda of the meeting has not been disclosed.

It comes one day after the start of the truce in Iran. The Pontiff He declared that he received “with satisfaction” the news of the truce “as a sign of living hope.” He noted that it must be a first step towards a lasting peace process, not just a tactical pause.