Rome and Washington deny reports of bruising nuncio meeting at Pentagon

The meeting at the Pentagon was part of the nuncio’s ‘standard practice’.

The Holy See denied reports that Pentagon official delivered a “bitter lecture” to the apostolic nuncio to the United States after a papal address in January.

Matteo Bruni, the director of the Holy See Press Office, told reporters on Friday that the meeting between the nuncio Cardinal Christophe Pierre and the US undersecretary of defence Elbridge Colby on 22 January “was part of the papal representative’s regular mission and provided the opportunity for an exchange of views on matters of mutual interest”.

He continued: “The narrative offered by some media outlets about this meeting is completely untrue.”

The statement followed a report published by The Free Press website on 6 April citing “Vatican and US officials briefed on the meeting” who said Pentagon staff used it to criticise Pope Leo’s address to the Holy See diplomatic corps on 9 January, in which he condemned “a diplomacy based on force” and a growing “zeal for war” in international relations.

On 8 April, the Department of Defence issued a statement describing the report as “highly exaggerated and distorted”.

“The meeting between Pentagon and Vatican officials was a respectful and reasonable discussion,” it said. “We have nothing but the highest regard and welcome continued dialogue with the Holy See.”

The next day, the nunciature in Washington, DC issued a statement confirming that the January meeting had taken place as part of the nuncio’s “standard practice”, adding that it was “grateful for the opportunities to meet and dialogue with government officials and others in Washington to discuss areas of mutual concern”.

The US Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch said this week he had discussed the meeting with Cardinal Pierre who “emphatically denied the media’s portrayal of his meeting with Colby”.

“He described the meeting as ‘frank, but very cordial’ and a ‘normal encounter’,” Burch wrote on social media. “Deliberate misrepresentation of these routine meetings sows unfounded division and misunderstanding.”