Hawk
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Trump's Pentagon Threatened Pope Leo - This is Insane
Posted
April 10, 2026
Views
50,317
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April 10, 2026
50,317
6,465
1,050
14.94%
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13:23Now PlayingTrump's Pentagon Threatened Pope Leo - This is Insane
Hawk breaks down one of the most jaw-dropping political stories in recent memory: Pentagon officials under Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth summoned Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the Vatican's ambassador to the United States, for an unusual meeting at the Defense Department on January 22nd. Rather than going through the State Department or the White House, as is standard diplomatic protocol, Pentagon officials attempted to justify U.S. military actions to Vatican representatives and even invoked the Avignon Papacy — a 14th century period when the French crown used military force to dominate papal authority — as a warning to Pope Leo to stop publicly criticizing the Trump administration.
Pope Leo, the first American-born pope and a Chicago native, had repeatedly called for diplomacy over military force in the weeks leading up to the meeting. Vatican officials described the encounter as unusual and far from a casual exchange, while Pentagon officials dismissed it as exaggerated. Pope Leo subsequently canceled a planned visit to the United States.
Hawk also examines Pete Hegseth's personal history, including allegations of alcoholism, a rape allegation settled with a non-disclosure agreement, and a pattern of marital infidelity, alongside his ties to Idaho-based evangelical dominionist pastor Doug Wilson. JD Vance's book on his Catholic conversion, which features a Methodist church on the cover, and the fact that two consecutive popes have been openly critical of Vance, rounds out a look at the cast of characters at the center of this story.
#TrumpAdministration #Trump #DonaldTrump #PopeLeo #Pope #Vatican #PeteHegseth #Hegseth #JDVance #Vance #CardinalPierre #Pentagon #AvignonPapacy #CatholicChurch #HolySee #DougWilson #WashingtonPost #Church #MilitaryPolicy #PoliticalSatire #BreakingNews #CurrentEvents #Politics #Comedy #Hawk
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