Came across this article in the New Republic..

https://newrepublic.com/post/208820/pentagon-threatened-pope-criticized-donald-trump

Excerpt:

Relations between the United States and the Catholic Church have not been the same since January, when senior U.S. defense officials shared an abrasive message with a Vatican official.

Days after Pope Leo XIV delivered his State of the World speech, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby summoned Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the Vatican’s U.S. representative, to a closed-door Pentagon meeting for a bitter lecture.

“The United States,” Colby said, according to a blistering new report by The Free Press, “has the military power to do whatever it wants in the world. The Catholic Church had better take its side.”

One U.S. official present at the meeting brought up the Avignon papacy, a period in the fourteenth century in which the French monarchy bent the Catholic Church into submission, ordering an attack on Pope Boniface VIII that led to his downfall and subsequent death and forcing the papacy to relocate from Rome to Avignon, a region inside France.

Hopefully Catholic voters will never forget this.

The story is based upon Christopher Hale's ruminations. Let me know when the Church says similar.

10 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

The story is based upon Christopher Hale's ruminations. Let me know when the Church says similar.

The Vatican has already responded - the New Republic report is legit.

Only one higher instance left to threaten.

Allah already been misused.

Maybe they will relocate the Papacy next door to Mar-a-Lago with The Kaabaa on the other side?

11 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Hopefully Catholic voters will never forget this.

Catholic voters will be too busy adoring wafers.

Considering the evangelical right-wing Southern Baptists have never liked Catholics anyhow. If you don't notice there's a pattern here.

I am in full support of carpet bombing the Vatican....after 1000 + years of Pedophiles, money laundering, Nazi loving activities by the "Servants of God", that part of the world should be vaporized. The Vatican and the Pope and all religion are evil incarnate.

8 minutes ago, DarthChuckler said:

Considering the evangelical right-wing Southern Baptists have never liked Catholics anyhow. If you don't notice there's a pattern here.

They have a good reason...and so do the Serbs (look up Jaesonvac Concentration Camp) and the Jews (look up WW2 and all the Nazis the Vatican smuggled out of Germany to Argentina). The Vatican is evil.

Throughout history and by extrapolation I'm fairly certain even prehistory, there is nothing more disruptive and or dangerous than true believers. They are incapable of understanding let alone embracing anything that is " other " to their narrow belief system. No need to waste time citing hundreds of examples regarding religion, politics, culture etc..

The pope has been very critical of the Iran War, increasingly more critical of Israel's extreme levels of aggression, and indirectly critical of the toxic monster. He is simply speaking truth, and tiny juvenile men like Pete and Don cannot handle truth.

For the war mongering Pentagon to be lecturing the Vatican would be amusing if it wasn't so tragic.

Trump might respond to the Vatican with threat of regime change and installing HIMSELF as the new Pope.

3 hours ago, JimHuaHin said:

The Vatican has already responded - the New Republic report is legit.

Your statement is dishonest and is why I write in the manner that I do when addressing the people who are given to blatant attempts to mislead. Why do you do it?

Vatican backs up Pentagon on tone of Colby meeting

The Vatican is taking the Pentagon’s side, saying Friday that the meeting was part of “Pontifical Representative’s regular duties and provided an opportunity for an exchange of views on matters of mutual interest.” 

“The account offered by certain media outlets regarding this meeting does not correspond to the truth in any way,” said Matteo Bruni, the director of the Holy See Press Office. 

https://thehill.com/policy/international/5825811-vatican-pentagon-elbridge-colby-meeting/

9 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

Trump might respond to the Vatican with threat of regime change and installing HIMSELF as the new Pope.

Methinks, trump cannot abide another American in a power position. Especially one having more prominence by being an international leader.

14 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Hopefully Catholic voters will never forget this.

Yes, they should not forget the attempt by Cghristopher Hale, aided by a low circulation magizine, to manipulate them. Worse is the quick acceptance of one man's imaginings by those with a bias.

2 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

Only one higher instance left to threaten.

Allah already been misused.

Ok, but now that the Vatican repudiates the claim, will you be as quick to rebuke those who circulated and embraced the story?

2 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Maybe they will relocate the Papacy next door to Mar-a-Lago with The Kaabaa on the other side?

See previous response

God bless America. Think not. 😩

14 hours ago, phetphet said:

Came across this article in the New Republic..

Your motives appear to be malicious. A responsible person would have looked into the matter to determine the allegation's reliability. You chose not to, and instead rushed to start a new thread that fit with your own bias. Now that this story is discredited by the Vatican and other participants, will you take responsibility for misleading people?

Vatican denies media spin of envoy meeting at the Pentagon

ROME – On Friday, the Vatican formally debunked a viral news report alleging that U.S. officials summoned a Vatican diplomat to the Pentagon to lecture him on the nation’s military might, threatening the Holy See to step in line.

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2026/04/vatican-denies-media-spin-of-envoy-meeting-at-the-pentagon

Let's be brutally honest:

Pope is gay

1 minute ago, Bruce Aussie said:

God bless America. Think not. 😩

Do you realize that you are commenting on misinformation? The event as described did not occur according to the participants.

Will somebody--anybody--blow up theocracies: Israel, Iran and the Vatican so we can be done with religious wars?

The New Republic is a muckraking rag. /s And it only has 1.2 million circulation, too.

2 hours ago, PhilipHabib said:

Let's be brutally honest:

Pope is gay

...and a Democrat.

2 hours ago, PhilipHabib said:

Let's be brutally honest:

Pope is gay

He’s in the right job then.All the choirboys to go at.

Lucky Pope.

3 hours ago, Srikcir said:

Trump might respond to the Vatican with threat of regime change and installing HIMSELF as the new Pope.

That's a wonderful idea. Offer the Papacy to Trump on condition that he steps down from the presidency of the United States. His ego would be satisfied, and he'd be in a job in which he wouldn't be able to cause anywhere near as much harm to the world.

6 hours ago, Taboo2 said:

I am in full support of carpet bombing the Vatican....after 1000 + years of Pedophiles, money laundering, Nazi loving activities by the "Servants of God", that part of the world should be vaporized. The Vatican and the Pope and all religion are evil incarnate.

By the Epstein class?

5 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

Do you realize that you are commenting on misinformation? The event as described did not occur according to the participants.

5 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

Do you realize that you are commenting on misinformation? The event as described did not occur according to the participants.

You do realize that this abomination…..administration lives in a bubble they are way beyond being in touch with the way America is shifting……this factual thing is exactly the way they behave and I believe they did threaten the Vatican no doubt about it it is the essence of what they believe….might makes right…..most decent people disagree.

5 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

Your statement is dishonest and is why I write in the manner that I do when addressing the people who are given to blatant attempts to mislead. Why do you do it?

Vatican backs up Pentagon on tone of Colby meeting

The Vatican is taking the Pentagon’s side, saying Friday that the meeting was part of “Pontifical Representative’s regular duties and provided an opportunity for an exchange of views on matters of mutual interest.” 

“The account offered by certain media outlets regarding this meeting does not correspond to the truth in any way,” said Matteo Bruni, the director of the Holy See Press Office. 

https://thehill.com/policy/international/5825811-vatican-pentagon-elbridge-colby-meeting/

Thanks for that. It shows both the Holy See and the Pentagon eventually issuing statements aimed at defusing any reports of alleged tension or significant differences. The Pentagon says the meeting was, "substantive, respectful and professional” while the Vatican claims it, "provided an opportunity for an exchange of views on matters of mutual interest.”

They mirror each other and are similar to the NATO chief's recent comments after his meeting with Trump that was alleged to be less than cordial. The friendly, official post-meeting press audience alongside Rubio, that ended with Rutte pausing to remark on some picture hanging on the wall as they walked away fooled nobody. Daddy spanked the Lying Dutchman. Rutte's subsequent post-meeting comment was of the talks being "robust" which follows the age-old diplomatic double-speak that suggests that there are significant unresolved differences. His eyes were still watering.

Meanwhile, it does appear that the US Ambassador to the Holy See has cut to the chase on X, openly calling the allegations of any strong-arming tactics from the Pentagon during the closed-door meeting, where he wasn't in the room, as BS.

Considering who appointed him, well he would wouldn't he?

Snopes is neutral.

Won't rule either way.

You can't believe one word out of Hegseth's pentagon and the Vatican would be motivated to be diplomatic about this.

Until we ever know more, I'm include to lean on believing the original version.

The New Republic is VERY CREDIBLE.

New Republic - Bias and Credibility - Media Bias/Fact Check

www.mediabiasfactcheck.com/new-republic/