Vatican officials try to downplay report of meeting that sparked reported feud between Pope Leo and Trump

A Vatican official appears to have downplayed a recent report describing a contentious meeting between U.S. defense officials and Cardinal Christophe Pierre.Pierre, a Vatican diplomat, met with Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby at the Pentagon in January. Earlier this week, The Free Press reported that U.S. officials used the meeting to criticize a speech Pope Leo XIV gave earlier that month, and were interpreting his remarks as attacking President Donald Trump's policies.The Defense Department has since called the outlet’s characterization “highly exaggerated and distorted.”Now, a Vatican official has said the meeting was at times “tense” and “aggressive,” but there was “no question of anyone threatening anyone,” according to The Pillar, a news website that reports on the Catholic Church.The conversation was also described as mutually forthright, with one official noting that Pierre was “making himself heard too,” The Pillar reported.Cardinal Christophe Pierre met with Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby in January (Defense Department)Leo, the first American-born Pontiff, has emerged as an outspoken critic of the conflict with Iran.After Trump shared a Truth Social post threatening to destroy Iran's civilization earlier this week, Leo issued a statement calling his words "truly unacceptable." The pope also shared a statement Friday warning that “God does not bless any conflict.” This comes just days after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said U.S. strikes in Iran were carried out “under the protection of divine providence.”The Free Press also reported that Leo, who is from Chicago, previously rejected an invitation to attend a White House celebration for America’s 250th anniversary. A Vatican official told the outlet he “may well never visit the United States under this administration.” Pope Leo called Trump’s threat to wipe out Iran’ civilization ‘totally unacceptable’ (AFP/Getty)When reached for comment, a Defense Department official called the January meeting “respectful and reasonable.” “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," the official told The Independent.A senior Pentagon official described the meeting as “very respectful” and a “frank exchange of ideas,” according to The Pillar.“There were somewhat different perspectives, but definitely no hostility or even hint of an attempt at coercion. That’s frankly just absurd and a calumny,” the official said.Brian Burch, the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, also said he and Pierre spoke Thursday.“As expected, he confirmed that recent media characterizations of his meeting with Undersecretary Colby are ‘fabrications’ that were ‘just invented,’” Burch wrote on X.The Independent has contacted the Holy See for comment.