Brian Burch, the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, said on Thursday that Cardinal Christophe Pierre, former Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, has denied an explosive report that claimed the Pentagon issued threats to the Vatican, which Burch called “fabrications” that were “just invented.”
Earlier this week, the Free Press reported that Elbridge A. Colby, the Defense Department’s undersecretary for policy, held a contentious meeting with Pierre this past January where he subjected the prelate to 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 further alleged that a Pentagon official went as far as to invoke the Avignon Papacy of the 14th-century, during which King Philip IV of France forced the papacy, through the military, to reside in Avignon rather than Rome for 67 years.
In a statement on X released Thursday, Ambassador Brian Burch said that Cardinal Pierre confirmed no such threats were made during the meeting in January.
“I was pleased to speak today with His Eminence, Cardinal Christophe Pierre. As expected, he confirmed that recent media characterizations of his meeting with Undersecretary Colby are ‘fabrications’ that were ‘just invented,’” said Burch.
“Given the intelligence and seriousness of Mr. Colby, I was likewise not surprised when His Eminence acknowledged there were no threats of any kind in the meeting. ‘It was a frank and cordial meeting that took place two months ago.’ Threat of Avignon? ‘None,’” added Burch.
“Cardinal Pierre has been a regular interlocutor since my nomination. When we disagree, we have done so with sincerity and respect,” he concluded. “I believe the same could be said of his January meeting with Undersecretary Colby. It’s regrettable that some journalists and online agitators chose to exploit a routine meeting to sow division between the Holy See and the United States.”
The U.S. Embassy to the Holy See likewise confirmed Cardinal Pierre’s denial of the threat in a statement on X.
“The Cardinal emphatically denied the media’s portrayal of his meeting with Colby. He described the meeting as ‘frank, but very cordial’ and a ‘normal encounter.’ He confirmed that the reporting ‘does not reflect what happened’ and was ‘just invented to make a story,’” the statement said.