Pope Leo XIV challenged the Trump administration’s argument that God is on the side of the US in the conflict with Iran, the latest in a series of rebukes even as the Vatican and the White House denied any rift following reports of a contentious meeting in January.

Bishop Joseph Strickland spoke to Newsweek after reports Pentagon officials urged the Vatican to get on board with U.S. policies.

Reports of a meeting between a Vatican representative and the Pentagon went viral, with allegations that the church had been warned to cease its criticism.

The Pentagon has denied threatening the Vatican during a late January meeting with the Holy See’s then-envoy to the U.S., as Pope Leo XIV has warned against the growing use of military action in