ROME – On Friday, the Vatican formally debunked a viral news report alleging that U.S. officials summoned a Vatican diplomat to the Pentagon to lecture him on the nation’s military might, threatening the Holy See to step in line.

The report, published in The Free Press earlier this week at a time of heightened U.S.-Vatican tensions over a series of U.S. foreign policy decisions, stated that U.S. defense officials had summoned the Vatican’s envoy for a lecture on loyalty.

Among other things, the report stated that Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby on Jan. 22 had summoned the then-Vatican nuncio to the United States, French Cardinal Christophe Pierre, to the Pentagon over Pope Leo’s speech to diplomats a few weeks prior, in which Leo’s remarks were read as a criticism of some of President Donald Trump’s policies.

U.S. officials were alleged to have told Pierre that “the United States has the military power to do whatever it wants” and invoked the Avignon Papacy in the 1300s, when French rulers used their military might to force seven consecutive popes into exile, residing in Avignon rather than in Rome.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni flatly denied the report in a statement Friday, saying that “As confirmed by His Eminence Christophe Pierre…his meeting with Mr. Elbridge Andrew Colby was part of the papal representative’s regular mission and provided the opportunity for an exchange of views on matters of mutual interest.”

“The narrative offered by some media outlets about this meeting is completely untrue,” Bruni said.

The Vatican nunciature in Washington had previously distributed a statement to the press also denying the portrayal of the meeting, confirming the Jan. 22 meeting at the Pentagon to discuss “current affairs,” but characterizing the interaction as “routine.”

“The Apostolic Nunciature is grateful for the opportunities to meet and dialogue with government officials and others in Washington to discuss areas of mutual concern,” the nunciature said.

The United States Embassy to the Holy See sent out a series of posts on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Thursday, denying the Free Press characterization of the report.

“Ambassador [Brian] Burch spoke today with His Eminence Cardinal Pierre, the outgoing papal nuncio to the United States, regarding his January meeting with Under Secretary Elbridge Colby. The Cardinal emphatically denied the media’s portrayal of his meeting with Colby,” the embassy said.

Pierre, they said, described his meeting as “frank, but very cordial” and a “normal encounter.”  Further, Pierre “confirmed that the Free Press narrative ‘does not reflect what happened’ and was ‘just invented to make a story,’” they said.

The embassy clarified that the U.S. government and embassy officials meet regularly with representatives of the Holy See, including the nuncio, and said the “Deliberate misrepresentation of these routine meetings sows unfounded division and misunderstanding.”

“Our relationship remains strong and productive,” they said.

The Department of War likewise dispelled the framing of the meeting in an April 9 post on X, saying Colby “had a substantive, respectful, and professional” meeting with Pierre on Jan. 22, in which they discussed a variety of topics, including “morality in foreign policy, the logic of the U.S. National Security Strategy, Europe, Africa, Latin America, and other topics.”

“Cardinal Pierre expressed his appreciation for the outreach and both sides looked forward to continued open and respectful dialogue,” the department said, condemning the “grossly false and distorted recent reporting” on the encounter.

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

On April 8, U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch held a meeting at the U.S. Embassy in Rome with the new apostolic nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Gabriele Caccia.

A day later, on April 9, Caccia met with Pope Leo at the Vatican, as fallout from the media report about the Pentagon meeting was unfolding.