Vatican denies reports of heated meeting with US official

The Vatican on Friday denied a media report that suggested a January meeting between a US-based cardinal and a member of Donald Trump's administration grew heated concerning Pope Leo's criticism.

In a statement, Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, said the report regarding the meeting was not true.

According to a report by The Free Press, US Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby summoned Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the Vatican's US representative, to a closed-door meeting shortly after Pope Leo XIV's State of the World address, where concerns were raised about the pope's criticism of US military policy.

The report added that Colby stressed Washington's global military reach and urged the Catholic Church to align more closely with US strategic positions.

It also claimed that references were made during the meeting to the 14th-century Avignon papacy, when the French monarchy exerted influence over the Church.

Bruni noted, however, that he spoke to Pierre about the meeting, which was described as "an exchange of views on matters of mutual interest."

"The narrative offered by some media outlets regarding this meeting does not correspond at all to the truth," added Bruni.

Also sharing the Vatican statement on US social media company X, the US Embassy in the Vatican said it is grateful to the Vatican Press Office for its clarity on the matter.