Priests shield themselves with umbrellas amid a heatwave as they wait for Pope Leo to lead the Angelus prayer from a window of the Apostolic Palace, in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, June 29, 2026. REUTERS/Yara Nardi TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
President Donald Trump's ambassador to the Holy See demanded an apology and help identifying the source of a leak that portrayed U.S. officials as intimidating Pope Leo XIV over his criticism of the Iran war.
Brian Burch, the ambassador to the Holly See, personally contacted Vatican Cardinal Christophe Pierre with the request, reports The New York Times.
The incident stemmed from a January Pentagon meeting between Burch and Pierre.
Reports allege U.S. officials threatened the Vatican, which Burch called "grossly mischaracterized," and suspected the claim originated from Vatican sources as an attack on the United States.
Pierre denied the reports, and the Vatican acknowledged details were exaggerated. The Pentagon also denied issuing threats.
The leak hunt occurred amid Trump's public criticism of the pope as weak on crime and Vice President JD Vance's theological challenges to papal doctrine on just-war principles.
Burch, a conservative Catholic activist and father of nine, maintains Trump and the pope share aligned goals.
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