Did Donald Trump Target The Pope? Here's What We Know

Speculations about President Donald Trump threatening Pope Leo XIV have been doing the rounds, especially after the latter's critique of the escalating U.S.-Iran war.

These rumors surfaced online after The Free Press published a report on April 6 about a tense meeting between Pentagon officials and a top Vatican official in January.

According to the media outlet, tensions between the Trump administration and the Vatican have been building for months. The Free Press stated that senior U.S. Defense officials summoned a top Vatican diplomat to the Pentagon in January.

Citing anonymous Vatican officials, the news outlet reported that the meeting was "a bitter lecture warning that the United States has the military power to do whatever it wants — and that the Church had better take its side."

The report's timing is critical, given that Pope Leo XIV has recently been vocal in his critique of Trump's war against Iran. On Tuesday, April 7, hours after the president threatened Iran on Truth Social writing that "a whole civilization will die tonight," the Pope disapproved of his statements, labeling them "unacceptable."

"Today, as we all know, there was this threat against the entire ​people of Iran, and this is truly unacceptable," said the Pope, according to Reuters.

"There are certainly issues ⁠here of international law, but even more than that, it is a ​moral question for the good of the (world's) people," he said, as he addressed journalists outside his residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy.

Earlier, on Easter Sunday, Pope Leo, who is the first American Pope, had urged world leaders to choose peace and "drop the desire to dominate others." He also condemned the "imperialist occupation of the world" and said that God rejects the prayers "of those who wage war."

USA Today claimed that Trump did not threaten the Pope directly. A former Presbyterian, Trump told Religion News Service in 2020 that he identifies himself as a "non-denominational Christian."

The news outlet has confirmed that the January meeting between Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the top Vatican official, and senior U.S. Defense officials did happen.

However, it reports that neither the Pentagon nor the Apostolic Nunciature (also referred to as the Vatican embassy), Pierre's former office, publicly confirmed the events as described by The Free Press.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Pentagon reportedly dismissed the The Free Press' report as "exaggerated and distorted." The Secretariat of the Apostolic Nunciature said such meetings with government officials are routine and added that they appreciated the chance to discuss shared concerns.

Vice President JD Vance was also questioned about the report during a gaggle in Budapest on April 8. USA Today cited a pool report recording in which Vance reportedly said he would "like to talk to Cardinal Christophe Pierre and, frankly, to our people, to figure out what actually happened."

He then added, "I think it's always a bad idea to offer an opinion on stories that are unconfirmed and uncorroborated."