Pope Leo May Boycott US Under Trump: Report

Pope Leo XIV may be staying away from his home country for a while—at least as long as President Trump is in the White House, according to a report that hints at a sharp chill between Washington and the Vatican. The Free Press reports that after the American-born pontiff's January speech to diplomats stressing the "importance of international humanitarian law," the Pentagon summoned Cardinal Christophe Pierre, then the pope's envoy to the US, for a tense meeting. Vatican officials briefed on the encounter described it to the outlet as a harsh warning that the US has the military clout to act as it wishes and that the Catholic Church should align with American policy. One Vatican source said that after the meeting, it was understood internally that "the pope may well never visit the United States under this administration."

Per the Free Press, the friction appears to center on Pope Leo's apparent criticism of Trump-era foreign policy, including the so-called Donroe Doctrine, the administration's updated version of the Monroe Doctrine asserting US dominance in the Western Hemisphere. In his January address, the pope lamented a shift from diplomacy rooted in dialogue and consensus to one "based on force, by either individuals or groups of allies," a passage that Vatican and US officials alike reportedly saw as aimed at Trump's approach.

Vice President JD Vance had invited the pope to mark America's 250th birthday at the White House on July 4, but the pontiff declined, the Free Press says. Instead, he plans to spend the day on the Italian island of Lampedusa, a landing point for migrants crossing the Mediterranean. Asked on Wednesday about the Pentagon meeting with Pierre, Vance first claimed not to know who the cardinal was, then declined to comment. The CBC reports that Pentagon spokesperson, meanwhile, called the Free Press' account "highly exaggerated and distorted," insisting the Vatican meeting was "respectful and reasonable" and that the US "welcome[s] continued dialogue with the Holy See."