Pope Leo XIV may not return to the U.S. while President Donald Trump remains in office, according to a report citing a contentious meeting between a Catholic official and the Pentagon.
The Pope, an American, has been vocal in his criticism of Trump’s policies, particularly when it comes to immigration and war. The Catholic leader has condemned the war in Iran and said that the Trump administration’s treatment of immigrants has been “extremely disrespectful.”
On Monday, The Free Press reported that in the wake of the Pope’s annual address to the Vatican’s diplomatic corps in January, in which he criticized states seeking conflict around the globe, the Department of Defense invited Cardinal Christophe Pierre for a meeting. At the time, Pierre was serving as Pope Leo’s personal envoy to the United States.
The Pentagon requesting a meeting with a Vatican official is “unprecedented,” according to the report.
According to Vatican and U.S. officials who were briefed on the meeting and spoke to the publication, the Pentagon criticized the Pope’s statements in January, interpreting them as hostile attacks on Trump’s policies.
One of the Vatican officials told The Free Press the Pentagon was especially angered by his apparent questioning of the “Donroe Doctrine” – Trump’s update to the Monroe Doctrine, which calls for the U.S. to be the unchallenged controller of the Western Hemisphere.
The Pentagon was reportedly responding to a statement the Pope made in which he said that “a diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force, by either individuals or groups of allies.”
In the wake of the meeting, the Pope reportedly refused Trump’s invitation to attend the nation’s 250th anniversary events.
Instead of spending July 4th in the U.S., the Pope will instead visit Lampedusa, a small Mediterranean island that has become an entry point for African migrants attempting to reach Europe.
A Vatican official speaking to The Free Press said the Pope has no plans to visit the U.S. while Trump is in office.
“The Pope may well never visit the United States under this administration,” the official reportedly said.
The Independent has reached out to the Holy See for comment.
“The Free Press’s characterization of the meeting is highly exaggerated and distorted. 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,” a War Department official told The Independent.
The pontiff’s defiance of Trump has continued since that meeting. After Trump made a Truth Social post threatening to wipe out Iran’s entire civilization — a threat he has not acted on — the Pope issued a statement calling the president’s words “truly unacceptable.”
“Today, as we all know, there has also been this threat against the entire people of Iran. And this is truly unacceptable,” the Pope told reporters in Italy on Tuesday, just hours before Trump announced that a two-week ceasefire with Iran had been reached.
The Pope continued, saying there were “certainly issues of international law here, but even more, it is a moral question concerning the good of the people as a whole, in its entirety.”
During his Wednesday address, the Pope said he welcomed the ceasefire between Iran and the U.S.
“In light of these past hours of great tension for the Middle East and for the whole world, I welcome with satisfaction… the announcement of an immediate two-week truce,” he said.
The American-born Pope has also pushed back after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has insisted on mixing his militant version of Christianity with his role as the top military official in the U.S.
In March, Hegseth called on Americans to pray for U.S. victory in Iran “in the name of Jesus Christ.” The comment did not sit well with the Pope, who noted that Jesus “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them.”
On Easter Sunday, the Pope called for global peace.
“On this day of celebration, let us abandon every desire for conflict, domination, and power, and implore the Lord to grant his peace to a world ravaged by wars,” he said in his Easter address.
On the same day — celebrated by Christians as the day Christ resurrected following his crucifixion, paying for the sins of humanity and paving a way for redemption and forgiveness — Trump issued a profanity-laden threat to destroy Iran’s infrastructure.
“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran,” Trump wrote. “There will be nothing like it!!! Open the F****** Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell — JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.”
