Vice President JD Vance responded Wednesday to a Free Press report claiming that senior Pentagon officials met with Cardinal Christophe Pierre earlier this year to press the Vatican on matters related to U.S. military authority.
Pierre, until recently, was Pope Leo XIV’s official representative to the United States.
A Free Press report claims that Pentagon officials summoned Pierre earlier this year to a closed-door meeting, where they urged the Church to support U.S. military policy and said America’s military power was unmatched. Vance responded to the report after a reporter pressed him, saying he had not seen the story.
“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,” Vance said.
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Vance’s office, the Pentagon and Pierre did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
U.S. officials reportedly warned Catholic Church representatives that America could use its military power globally and expected the Church to align with its interests, according to reports. During the meeting, one official reportedly even invoked a 14th-century weapon and the Avignon Papacy to underscore the point.
A Department of Defense spokesperson told Newsweek that the Free Press exaggerated and distorted details of the meeting.
“The meeting between [the] Pentagon and Vatican officials was a respectful and reasonable discussion,” the spokesperson said. “We have nothing but the highest regard and welcome continued dialogue with the Holy See.”
Pierre is no longer the apostolic nuncio to the United States after offering his resignation upon turning 80 on Jan. 30. He has been succeeded by Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, appointed by Pope Leo XIV to serve as the new Vatican representative in the U.S.
(Featured Image Media Credit: Screenshot/FOX)
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