Tensions between the Pentagon and the Vatican have intensified, particularly after a January meeting between US Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby and Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the Vatican's former ambassador to the United States. Reports suggested Colby delivered a confrontational message about US military power, prompting the Pentagon to label these characterizations as 'highly exaggerated and distorted.' They insisted the meeting was respectful, focusing on various global issues, including morality in foreign policy. US Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch supported this view, describing the encounter as 'frank but very cordial.' In contrast, Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, has openly criticized the Trump administration's military-focused diplomacy, advocating for peace and raising moral concerns about the use of military force. This ideological divide highlights the growing friction between the US government and the Catholic Church regarding foreign policy.