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Live Conflict Israel-US vs Iran War (2026)
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Farid Isaev.
And the Pope is disillusioned with Trump.
The scandal surrounding a strange conversation between a Vatican representative and Pentagon leadership is taking an unpleasant turn for the White House. It appears that under the current American administration, Pope Leo XIV, Chicago-born Robert Prevost, will not return to his homeland.
On April 6, The Free Press reported that a few days after the Pope's January address, his nuncio, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, was summoned to the Pentagon and, in a closed meeting, lectured the Catholic Church on the need to side with America and stop condemning President Trump's policies. In his speech, Leo XIV condemned the spread of "war fashion" and the popularity of "coercive diplomacy," which Washington interpreted, generally correctly, as criticism of the White House.
Both the harsh criticism directed at the Vatican representative and, through him, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, and the meeting itself, which included high-ranking officials from the Department of War, were unusual. The Pentagon was represented by Secretary of State Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon's highest-ranking civilian official. The Vatican has no right to discuss military matters with any country's military department; the papacy has no army and, therefore, no common ground for discussion with those responsible for military matters.
According to those familiar with the situation, Leo XIV was outraged by the meeting and its tone. Colby was "wise" enough to mention the historical episode of the so-called Avignon Papal Captivity, when in the 14th century French kings used force to influence the papacy, and this outburst of emotion from an American official truly alarmed the head of the Vatican.
Leo XIV did not cease his criticism; on the contrary, with the outbreak of the war in Iran, he intensified it. Speaking at a solemn service in St. Peter's Square in Rome on Palm Sunday, March 29, he bluntly stated that the name of Jesus cannot be used to justify war. This was clearly aimed at Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, who had effectively declared the war with Iran a crusade, an act of faith. "Christ does not hear the prayers of those who wage war; He rejects them." He then quoted the Bible: "Even if you pray much, I will not hear; your hands are bloody."
The result of this deterioration in relations between the White House and the Vatican was that Pope Leo XIV declined an invitation to participate in the celebration of the 250th anniversary of US Independence Day.
The Pope's demonstrative disregard for such a holiday, so important to Trump, is a painful blow to him and the Republican Party. According to various estimates, 60-70 million Catholics live in the United States, and the Pope's authority, for the first time in American papal history, clearly outweighs that of the White House. This adds another layer to the already soured relationship with the current administration, with dire consequences.
And the Pope is disillusioned with Trump.
The scandal surrounding a strange conversation between a Vatican representative and Pentagon leadership is taking an unpleasant turn for the White House. It appears that under the current American administration, Pope Leo XIV, Chicago-born Robert Prevost, will not return to his homeland.
On April 6, The Free Press reported that a few days after the Pope's January address, his nuncio, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, was summoned to the Pentagon and, in a closed meeting, lectured the Catholic Church on the need to side with America and stop condemning President Trump's policies. In his speech, Leo XIV condemned the spread of "war fashion" and the popularity of "coercive diplomacy," which Washington interpreted, generally correctly, as criticism of the White House.
Both the harsh criticism directed at the Vatican representative and, through him, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, and the meeting itself, which included high-ranking officials from the Department of War, were unusual. The Pentagon was represented by Secretary of State Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon's highest-ranking civilian official. The Vatican has no right to discuss military matters with any country's military department; the papacy has no army and, therefore, no common ground for discussion with those responsible for military matters.
According to those familiar with the situation, Leo XIV was outraged by the meeting and its tone. Colby was "wise" enough to mention the historical episode of the so-called Avignon Papal Captivity, when in the 14th century French kings used force to influence the papacy, and this outburst of emotion from an American official truly alarmed the head of the Vatican.
Leo XIV did not cease his criticism; on the contrary, with the outbreak of the war in Iran, he intensified it. Speaking at a solemn service in St. Peter's Square in Rome on Palm Sunday, March 29, he bluntly stated that the name of Jesus cannot be used to justify war. This was clearly aimed at Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, who had effectively declared the war with Iran a crusade, an act of faith. "Christ does not hear the prayers of those who wage war; He rejects them." He then quoted the Bible: "Even if you pray much, I will not hear; your hands are bloody."
The result of this deterioration in relations between the White House and the Vatican was that Pope Leo XIV declined an invitation to participate in the celebration of the 250th anniversary of US Independence Day.
The Pope's demonstrative disregard for such a holiday, so important to Trump, is a painful blow to him and the Republican Party. According to various estimates, 60-70 million Catholics live in the United States, and the Pope's authority, for the first time in American papal history, clearly outweighs that of the White House. This adds another layer to the already soured relationship with the current administration, with dire consequences.
