The Vatican has denied reports of certain details about a meeting last January between Cardinal Pierre and the Pentagon. Here is what the director of the press office said:
As confirmed by His Excellency Christophe Pierre, former Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, his meeting with Mr. Elbridge Andrew Colby was part of the Pontifical Representative’s regular duties and provided an opportunity for an exchange of views on matters of mutual interest. The account presented by certain media outlets regarding this meeting does not correspond to the truth in any way.
On April 6, the Free Press reported that the Pentagon had interrogated Pierre and threatened the Church, drawing parallels to the Avignon Papacy, when the French secular authorities used military force against the popes.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See released the following images on April 9. They show the meeting between Cardinal Pierre and Pentagon officials. The Pentagon described the meeting as “frank and cordial.”
Cardinal Pierre, for his part, denied that the Avignon Papacy had been mentioned.
