All articles tagged with #vatican
Pope Leo XIV denounced the 'delusion of omnipotence' behind the U.S.-Israel war in Iran and urged political leaders to pause hostilities and pursue peace negotiations, following a vigil for peace at the Vatican.
Pope Leo XIV condemned the US-Israeli approach to Iran, urging leaders to pursue peace and stating that God does not bless any conflict, as the Vatican calls for de-escalation amid rising tensions.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Pope Leo XIV held their first Vatican meeting, focusing on the Middle East crisis, multilateralism, climate change and humanitarian emergencies, and criticizing Donald Trump’s Iran policy; Macron and his wife Brigitte spent about two hours with the pope, exchanged gifts (a France basketball jersey and a Notre Dame reconstruction book), and Macron later spoke with Secretary of State Parolin, with no bilateral meeting planned with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The Vatican rejected media claims that Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the pope’s U.S. representative, was given a “bitter lecture” during a January Pentagon meeting with U.S. defense officials, saying the encounter was a normal, cordial exchange. The Department of Defense described the meeting as substantive and respectful, noting discussions on morality in foreign policy and other topics, while the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See echoed Pierre’s account of a frank but courteous meeting.
A January Pentagon meeting with Vatican diplomat Cardinal Pierre, reportedly referencing Avignon as a veiled warning to the Vatican after Pope Leo XIV criticized U.S. policy, has sparked the so-called Avignon-gate. While the Trump administration and Vatican deny the most explosive claims and accounts vary, the controversy underscores deep fractures within MAGA’s religious-right and the U.S. Catholic Church over immigration, the Iran war, and the pope’s role in criticizing U.S. foreign policy.
A Vatican diplomat characterized a January Pentagon encounter with Trump administration officials and Cardinal Christophe Pierre as a tense, aggressive confrontation described as bullying, with U.S. officials allegedly insisting the U.S. military could act as it saw fit and pressing the pope to side with Trump. The disclosures follow reporting by The Free Press and The Pillar, prompting denials from the Trump camp and a counter-narrative from the Pentagon, while tensions between the Vatican and the Trump White House deepen amid Leo XIV’s criticisms of Trump’s policies.
An opinion piece portrays Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pope, as a pacifist counterweight to President Trump’s militaristic foreign policy, urging peace and dialogue during Easter Mass amid reports of U.S. pressure on the Vatican and tensions over Catholic charities aiding migrants.
The Pentagon and the Vatican denied reports that a US official berated Vatican envoy Cardinal Christophe Pierre in January over Pope Leo XIV’s criticism of US policy on Iran, saying the meeting with Elbridge Colby was respectful and cordial. The pope’s comments on Iran and US diplomacy remain a point of tension, and gossip of a potential papal visit to the U.S. in 2026 was disputed, with the Vatican noting the pope will not go to the United States that year; he is scheduled to visit Lampedusa on July 4.
A recent report details a confrontational January Pentagon meeting in which Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby allegedly warned Cardinal Christophe Pierre that the U.S. has the power to act militarily and urged the Vatican to side with Washington, prompting Pope Leo XIV to cancel a planned U.S. visit. The Vatican framed the warning as unprecedented intimidation, drawing comparisons to the Avignon papacy; the White House disputed the portrayal and said the meeting was respectful.
Pope Leo XIV publicly urged Americans to engage with their elected leaders and advocate for peace after Donald Trump’s threats of war, marking a rare, more interventionist stance for a sitting pope as the Vatican navigates tensions with Washington and supports a two-week ceasefire in the broader conflict.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Gallagher met with Israel’s ambassador Yaron Sideman to discuss the Palm Sunday incident in which Israeli police barred Patriarch Pizzaballa and Custos Fr. Ielpo from entering the Holy Sepulchre. The Holy See expressed regret, provided clarifications, and noted an agreement with local authorities on participating in Easter Triduum liturgies at the Basilica.
Vice President JD Vance announced a forthcoming memoir, Communion, detailing his personal journey back to Catholic faith and due for release in June, a move that follows his Vatican visit and ongoing speculation about a 2028 presidential bid, echoing his prior success with Hillbilly Elegy.
Archbishop Paolo Rudelli was appointed by Pope Leo XIV as the new Substitute of the Vatican Secretariat of State, replacing Edgar Peña Parra. Rudelli, former nuncio to Colombia, expressed gratitude, called the appointment a gesture of unmerited trust, and pledged to serve in the spirit of Praedicate evangelium while relying on the Cardinal Secretary of State and the General Affairs staff, and seeking the intercession of St. John XXIII.
Pope Leo XIV named Archbishop Paolo Rudelli the new Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, moving him from Apostolic Nuncio to Colombia; Edgar Peña Parra becomes Apostolic Nuncio to Italy, succeeding Petar Rajič, who is appointed Prefect of the Papal Household, a post vacant for over six years. The changes underscore ongoing Vatican diplomacy and internal administration, with Rudelli’s appointment marking a major leadership shift in the Secretariat and Rajič returning to Italy to head the Pope’s household.
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Custos of the Holy Land were blocked by Israeli police from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass, a move they called an unprecedented and disproportionate restriction on worship, despite complying with restrictions; they expressed sorrow and warned it undermines the status quo and the faith of believers worldwide.