January 1, JD Vance Probes Pentagon Closed-Door Talk with Vatican Representative

Wyatt’s Take

• The Pentagon reportedly held a closed-door meeting with the Vatican’s U.S. representative.
• JD Vance said he wants to hear directly from the people involved before drawing conclusions.
• The reports have sparked fresh concern about how government officials handle church-state tensions.

Vice President JD Vance addressed the reports cautiously when pressed by the media this week.

He said he would not jump to conclusions until he had heard the facts from those involved.

“I’ve never seen this reporting. I’d like to actually talk to Cardinal Christophe Pierre and frankly to our people to figure out what actually happened.”

The Pentagon has since tried to downplay the meeting as a respectful dialogue.

“I think it’s always a bad idea to offer an opinion on stories that are unconfirmed and uncorroborated, so I’m not going to do that,” Vance said.

The Vatican official involved has since retired, and the Defense Department says the reports are exaggerated.

Still, many readers are likely to see the situation as another sign that government power should never be used to pressure religious leaders.

Wyatt Matters

Working folks in Middle America believe in the separation of church and state, but that doesn’t mean the state gets to bully the church. Respecting faith communities means keeping intimidation tactics out of public life.

Original Story