Did Donald Trump threaten the Pope? Here is what we know

• Rumors of a threat against the Pope surfaced after a report alleged the Pentagon warned a Vatican diplomat to back the US.
• A Defense department spokesperson called it "exaggerated and distorted."
• Pope Leo XIV has criticized the Trump administration's policies, calling a threat against the Iranian civilization "truly unacceptable."

Pope Leo XIV has issued some critiques of the Trump administration, but did President Donald Trump threaten him?

Not directly. Online rumors and questions about it surfaced after The Free Press reported on April 6 that Cardinal Christophe Pierre, who acted as a Holy See ambassador to the U.S. until March, met with Pentagon officials in January. The Free Press reported, citing unnamed Vatican officials, 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."

USA TODAY can confirm the meeting took place, but neither the Pentagon nor the Apostolic Nunciature, Pierre's former office, publicly confirmed events as described by The Free Press.

Here is what we know:

Did Trump threaten Pope Leo?

Not directly, and USA TODAY could not immediately confirm reporting by The Free Press, which stated the Pentagon threatened the Vatican via a diplomat.

The Pentagon and the Apostolic Nunciature, also referred to as the Vatican embassy, confirmed with USA TODAY the meeting with Pierre and Pentagon officials took place in January.

A spokesperson at the Pentagon said the Press' reporting was "exaggerated and distorted." The Secretariat of the Apostolic Nunciature said meetings with government officials are standard and the office was grateful to discuss common issues.

Vice President JD Vance, a converted Catholic, was asked about the Free Press report in a gaggle in Budapest on April 8.

"I would actually like to talk to Cardinal Cristophe Pierre and, frankly, to our people, to figure out what actually happened," Vance said, according to a recording from the pool report. "I think it's always a bad idea to offer an opinion on stories that are unconfirmed and uncorroborated."

Is the Pope anti-Trump?

Pope Leo, the first American Pope, has been outspoken about some of the Trump administration's policies.

“Today, as we all know, there was this threat against the entire people of Iran, and this is truly unacceptable,” Pope Leo said while addressing ‌journalists ⁠outside his residence on April 7 in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. “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.”

Pope Leo also called on Trump to end the war, Reuters reported.

Leo has previously questioned whether Trump's immigration policies were in line with the Church's pro-life teachings, according to Reuters.

What religion is Donald Trump?

Trump once identified as a Presbyterian, but in 2020 he told Religion News Service he began considering himself a non-denominational Christian.

First lady Melania Trump, however, made news in 2017 when she met the late Pope Francis and revealed she was Catholic when asking the pontiff to bless her rosary beads. 

Contributing: Marc Ramirez, Antonio Fins, USA TODAY Network; Reuters

Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her onX (Twitter),Threads,Bluesky andTikTok.