Reason why Pope Leo won't visit US while Trump is in office

American-born Pope Leo XIV may not return to the United States while President Donald Trump is in office, according to a report on an allegedly contentious meeting between a Catholic official and the Pentagon.

Earlier this week, The Free Press analysed ‘the collapse of Washington’s relationship with the first American pope’ in a report.

Following Pope Leo's annual address to the Vatican’s diplomatic corps in January, in which he criticized those nations seeking conflict around the globe, the Pentagon — in an ‘unprecedented’ move, according to the publication — requested a meeting with Cardinal Christophe Pierre, who was Leo’s personal envoy to the US at the time.

According to Vatican and US officials who spoke to The Free Press, the Pentagon was critical of the Pope's statements in January, interpreting them as hostile attacks on Trump's policies.

One of the Vatican officials told The Free Press the Pentagon was especially angered by the Pope’s apparent questioning of the ‘Donroe Doctrine’ — Trump’s own take on the Monroe Doctrine, which calls for the US to be the sole controller of the Western Hemisphere.

Donald Trump threatened that the entire civilization of Iran would be 'wiped out' in a post appeared on platform Truth Social on Tuesday, April 7. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The Pentagon was reportedly responding to a statement the Pope made in which he said that ‘a diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force, by either individuals or groups of allies’.

Following the meeting, the Pope reportedly refused Trump's invitation to attend the nation's 250th anniversary events.

Instead of spending July 4th in the US, the Pope will instead visit Lampedusa, a Mediterranean island known for being an entry point for African migrants.

Born in Chicago in 1955, Pope Leo (real name Robert Francis Prevost) has been vocal in his condemnation of Trump’s policies, particularly regarding immigration and war.

A Vatican official speaking to The Free Press said the Pope has currently no plans to visit the US while Trump is in office.

“The Pope may well never visit the United States under this administration," the official reportedly said.

UNILAD reached out to the Holy See for comment.

Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV also holds Peruvian and Vatican citizenships. (Simone Risoluti - Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)

As for the War Department, they slammed The Free Press’s characterization of the meeting as ‘highly exaggerated and distorted’.

"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," a War Department official told The Independent.

The Pope’s criticism of Trump has continued over the past few months, particularly regarding the US’s armed intervention in Iran.

After Trump posted on Truth Social, threatening to 'wipe out' Iran's entire civilization, the Pope issued a statement calling the president's words 'truly unacceptable'.

“Today, as we all know, there has also been this threat against the entire people of Iran. And this is truly unacceptable,” the Pope told reporters in Italy on Tuesday, shortly before Trump announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran.

During his Wednesday address, the Pope said he welcomed the ceasefire between Iran and the US ‘with satisfaction’.

"In light of these past hours of great tension for the Middle East and for the whole world, I welcome with satisfaction... the announcement of an immediate two-week truce,” he said.