The Pentagon Threatened Pope Leo XIV's Ambassador with the Avignon Papacy
5 hours ago
- #Vatican-US relations
- #Pentagon diplomacy
- #Pope Leo XIV
- A closed-door Pentagon meeting saw a senior Trump official lecture Pope Leo XIV's ambassador on U.S. military supremacy, implying the Catholic Church should align with America.
- The U.S. official invoked the Avignon Papacy, a historical reference to using military force to influence the papacy, seen by some Vatican officials as a threat.
- Due to the tense meeting and disagreements, Vatican officials shelved plans for Pope Leo XIV to visit the U.S. for the 250th anniversary in 2026.
- The Pentagon interpreted the pope's call for diplomacy over force as a challenge to the Trump administration's 'Donroe Doctrine' asserting U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere.
- Despite pressure, the Vatican has not conceded, and Pope Leo XIV has intensified his public moral stance, opting to visit Lampedusa on July 4, 2026, instead of the U.S.