Last Call

The Pope vs. The Pentagon

In January, Elbridge Colby — Trump’s Undersecretary of Defense — summoned the Vatican’s ambassador to a closed-door Pentagon meeting. His message, per The Free Press and confirmed by independent reporter Christopher Hale: “The United States has the military power to do whatever it wants. The Catholic Church had better take its side.”

The reference to the “Avignon Papacy” — a 14th century episode when the French crown bent the church to state power through force — was not subtle. It was a warning.

Pope Leo XIV’s response has been methodical and deliberate. He canceled his July 4th visit. He’ll spend America’s 250th birthday on Lampedusa, the island where African migrants wash ashore. He called Trump’s threat to destroy “an entire Iranian civilization” unacceptable. And this week he told Catholics to call their representatives and demand an end to the war.

The Pentagon pushed back today, calling the reporting “highly exaggerated.” JD Vance — a Catholic — said he hadn’t seen the reporting and would look into it.

The first American pope grew up in Chicago. He knows exactly what he’s doing. And he will not be bullied.

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See you all tomorrow morning!

Sean