{{Short description|French cardinal and diplomat (born 1946)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox Christian leader | type = Cardinal | honorific_prefix = [[His Eminence]] | name = Christophe Pierre | honorific_suffix = | title = [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|Cardinal]]<br>[[Apostolic Nuncio]] Emeritus to the [[Apostolic Nunciature to the United States|United States]] | image = ChristophePierre (portrait).jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = Pierre in 2018 | appointed = 12 April 2016 | retired = 7 March 2026 | predecessor = [[Carlo Maria Viganò]] | successor = [[Gabriele Giordano Caccia]] | other_post = Cardinal-Deacon of [[San Benedetto fuori Porta San Paolo]] (2023–present) | previous_post = {{ubil | *[[Apostolic Nuncio]] to [[Apostolic Nunciature to Mexico|Mexico]] (2007–2016) *[[Apostolic Nuncio]] to [[Apostolic Nunciature to Uganda|Uganda]] (1999–2007) *[[Apostolic Nuncio]] to [[Apostolic Nunciature to Haiti|Haiti]] (1995–1999) *[[Titular Archbishop]] of [[Gunela]] (1995–2023)}} <!---------- Orders ----------> | ordination = 5 April 1970 | ordained_by = [[Paul Gouyon]] | consecration = 24 September 1995 | consecrated_by = [[Angelo Sodano]] | cardinal = 30 September 2023 | created_cardinal_by = [[Pope Francis]] | rank = Cardinal Deacon <!---------- Personal details ----------> | birth_name = Christophe Louis Yves Georges Pierre | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1946|01|30}} | birth_place = [[Rennes]], France | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|df=yes|YYYY|MM|DD|1946|01|30}} --> | death_place = | buried = | alma_mater = | signature = | motto = {{langnf|la|Si scires donum Dei|If you knew the gift of God|break=yes}} | module = {{Infobox cardinalstyles |child = yes |dipstyle= *[[His Eminence]] *[[His Eminence|The Most Reverend Eminence]] |offstyle=[[Your Eminence]] |relstyle=[[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|Cardinal]] |deathstyle= |image = Coat of arms of Christophe Pierre (cardinal).svg |image_size=200px}} | module2 = {{Ordination | embed = yes | consecrated by = [[Angelo Sodano]] | date of consecration = September 24, 1995 | bishop 1 = [[Joseph Serge Miot]] | consecration date 1 = October 12, 1997 | bishop 2 = [[Enrique Sanchez Martinez]] | consecration date 2 = October 10, 2008 | bishop 3 = [[Jorge Carlos Patrón Wong]] | consecration date 3 = December 15, 2009 | bishop 4 = [[Raúl Gómez González]] | consecration date 4 = January 25, 2010 | bishop 5 = [[José Armando Álvarez Cano]] | consecration date 5 = January 30, 2012 | bishop 6 = [[Jaime Calderón Calderón]] | consecration date 6 = October 5, 2012 | bishop 7 = [[Rafael Valdéz Torres]] | consecration date 7 = July 31, 2013 | bishop 8 = [[Gerardo Díaz Vázquez]] | consecration date 8 = October 22, 2014 | bishop 9 = [[Hilario González García]] | consecration date 9 = January 22, 2015 | bishop 10 = [[Cristóbal Ascencio García]] | consecration date 10 = February 12, 2015 | bishop 11 = [[Francisco Eduardo Cervantes Merino]] | consecration date 11 = April 23, 2015 | bishop 12 = [[Fidencio López Plaza]] | consecration date 12 = May 20, 2015 | bishop 13 = [[José Alberto González Juárez]] | consecration date 13 = July 22, 2015 | bishop 14 = [[Jose Hirais Acosta Beltran]] | consecration date 14 = March 14, 2016 | bishop 15 = [[José Fortunato Álvarez Valdéz]] | consecration date 15 = March 16, 2016 }}}} '''Christophe Louis Yves Georges Pierre''' ({{IPA|fr|kʁistɔf pjɛʁ}}, born 30 January 1946) is a [[Catholic Church in France|French Catholic]] prelate and diplomat who served as [[Apostolic Nunciature to the United States|Apostolic Nuncio to the United States]] from 2016 to 2026. He previously served as apostolic nuncio to [[Apostolic Nunciature to Mexico|Mexico]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Uganda|Uganda]], and [[Apostolic Nunciature to Haiti|Haiti]]. He was made a [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|cardinal]] in 2023.
== Biography ==
=== Early life === Christophe Louis Yves Georges Pierre was born in [[Rennes]], [[France]], on 30 January 1946 to a family with roots for many generations in [[Brittany]].<ref name=herald>{{cite news | access-date = 3 June 2025 |work= Arlington Catholic Herald |url =https://www.catholicherald.com/article/national/pope-names-new-papal-nuncio-to-u-s/| title =Pope names new papal nuncio to U.S.|agency=Catholic News Service | date =12 April 2016}}</ref> He was the eldest of six children. His father, who had not long before escaped from a prisoner-of-war camp in Austria, was a lawyer who moved his family when Christophe was three to [[Madagascar]] where he worked for about ten years and then to [[Marrakesh]].<ref name=aleteia26>{{cite news|work=Aleteia|access-date=23 February 2026| url=https://aleteia.org/2026/01/30/popes-rep-in-usa-is-80-years-old-today/|title=Pope’s rep in USA is 80 years old today|date=30 January 2026}}</ref><ref name=AM2023>{{cite interview | access-date = 4 June 2025 | first = Christophe | last = Pierre | url =https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2023/11/02/cardinal-christoph-pierre-interview-246416 | date = 2 November 2023 | work = [[America (magazine)|America]] | title = Cardinal Pierre on why the U.S. bishops are struggling to connect with Pope Francis | interviewer = Gerard O'Connell }}</ref> Pierre spent much of his childhood in Africa, mostly in Madagascar but also in [[Malawi]] and [[Zimbabwe]].<ref name=stampa2016/> He attended primary school at [[Antsirabe]] in Madagascar and then pursued his secondary studies at the College of [[Saint-Malo]] and the [[Lycée Victor Hugo (Marrakesh)|Lycée Victor-Hugo de Marrakech]].<ref name=nuncio/> He entered the Catholic seminary of Saint-Yves in [[Rennes]] in 1963, interrupting his studies to complete his required military service in France in 1965–66.<ref name=stampa2016/>
=== Priesthood === Pierre was ordained a priest of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rennes|Archdiocese of Rennes]] at the [[Saint-Malo Cathedral|Cathedral of Saint-Malo]] in [[Saint-Malo|Saint-Malo, France]], on 5 April 1970.<ref name=nuncio/> He served as vicar of the parish of Saint-Pierre-Saint-Paul in [[Colombes]], a Paris suburb, in the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Nanterre|Diocese of Nanterre]] from 1970 to 1973.<ref>{{cite web | language = fr | access-date = 3 June 2025 | url =https://eglise.catholique.fr/guide-eglise-catholique-france/personne/s-em-le-cardinal-christophe-pierre/ | website= Église catholique en France | title = S. Ém. le cardinal Christophe Pierre|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20250513234834/https://eglise.catholique.fr/guide-eglise-catholique-france/personne/s-em-le-cardinal-christophe-pierre/ | archive-date=13 May 2025|url-status=live }}</ref> Pierre obtained his [[Master of Theology]] degree at the [[Institut Catholique de Paris]] and his [[Doctor of Canon Law (Catholic Church)|Doctor of Canon Law]] degree from the [[Pontifical Lateran University]] in Rome (1973-1977).<ref name=nuncio>{{cite web| access-date = 3 June 2025 | url = https://www.usccb.org/resources/his-eminence-cardinal-christophe-pierre-apostolic-nuncio-united-states-america | url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20250215230055/https://www.usccb.org/resources/his-eminence-cardinal-christophe-pierre-apostolic-nuncio-united-states-america | archive-date=15 February 2025 | title = Apostolic Nuncio | website =United States Conference of Catholic Bishops }}</ref>
== Diplomatic service == In 1973, he entered the [[Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy]], which trains [[Nuncio|papal diplomats]].<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy]]|language =it|access-date =3 June 2025 | title = Pontificia Accademia Ecclesiastica, Ex-alunni 1950 – 1999 |url = https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_academies/acdeccles/documents/1950-1999.htm | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20230712002012/https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_academies/acdeccles/documents/1950-1999.htm|archive-date=12 July 2023|url-status=dead}}</ref> He entered the Vatican diplomatic service on 5 March 1977,<ref name=nuncio/> serving first in [[Wellington]], New Zealand. Pierre then held posts in [[Mozambique]], [[Zimbabwe]], [[Cuba]], [[Brazil]], and as the [[Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva|Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations]] in [[Geneva]].<ref name=stampa2016/>
=== Haiti === On 12 July 1995, [[Pope John Paul II]] named Pierre as apostolic nuncio to Haiti and titular archbishop of [[Africa (Roman province)#Episcopal sees|Gunela]].<ref>{{cite book | page=730 | title = Acta Apostolica Sedis | access-date = 3 June 2025 |url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-87-1995-ocr.pdf| volume = LXXXVII | date = 1995}}</ref> He received his episcopal consecration on 24 September in the Cathedral of Saint-Malo<ref name=nuncio/> from Cardinal Secretary of State [[Angelo Sodano]].<ref name=vatbio>{{cite web | url = https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_pierre_clyg.html | title =Pierre Card. Christophe Louis Yves Georges| publisher =[[Holy See Press Office]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231001030752/https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_pierre_clyg.html |archive-date= 1 October 2023| access-date = 3 June 2025 }}</ref> He chose as his episcopal motto ''Si Scires Donum Dei'' ("If you knew the gift of God") {{Bibleverse|John|4:10}}.<ref name=nuncio/> In Haiti, which had experienced years of church-state conflict, Pierre was described as non-political. He arranged for Haitian President [[Jean-Bertrand Aristide]] to be released from his vows as a Catholic priest.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Malone|first1=David|title=Decision-making in the UN Security Council: The Case of Haiti, 1990-1997|date=1998|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=237n13|url=https://archive.org/details/decisionmakingin0000malo|url-access=registration|accessdate=12 March 2016|isbn=9780198294832}}</ref>
=== Uganda === On 10 May 1999, Pierre was transferred as apostolic nuncio to [[Kampala]], Uganda In 2000, he campaigned against the [[Ugandan government|Ugandan government's]] promotion of condom use to prevent the spread of [[HIV/AIDS]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Cornwell|first1=John|title=The Pontiff in Winter: Triumph and Conflict in the Reign of John Paul II|date=2007|publisher=Doubleday|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aQDRLfcW5gAC&pg=PT214|accessdate=12 March 2016|isbn=9780307424037}}</ref> Vice President [[Speciosa Kazibwe]], herself a doctor, promoted [[condom]] use during a national tour and complained that religious leaders were hampering the government's public health efforts. Pierre replied that condoms promoted "outright promiscuity" that would increase the incidence of HIV/AIDS.<ref>{{cite news | accessdate = 12 March 2016| date = 4 August 2000 | url= http://www.irinnews.org/report/3044/uganda-state-and-church-odds-over-condom-use | title= State and church at odds over condom use | publisher = IRIN }}</ref> Years later, Pierre linked Uganda's success in fighting HIV/AIDS to the church's [[abstinence education]] strategy.<ref>{{cite news | date = 12 March 2016 | accessdate = 27 February 2009 | title = Church vs. AIDS in Africa | publisher = National Catholic Register | first = Grace | last = Canfiru | url = http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/church_vs._aids_in_africa/#.VuQRfEU8LCQ | archive-date = 7 June 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110607074658/http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/church_vs._aids_in_africa/#.VuQRfEU8LCQ | url-status = dead }}</ref> During his time in Uganda, Pierre worked with Italian missionary Father John Scalabrini in supporting many disadvantaged Ugandans with school and health care.{{cn|date=June 2025}}
Following the assassination of the papal nuncio to Burundi, Archbishop [[Michael Courtney]] on 29 December 2003, he celebrated his funeral mass in the Regina Mundi Cathedral in Bujumbura the next day and oversaw the work of the nunciature there until the appointment of a new nuncio, Archbishop [[Paul Gallagher (bishop)|Paul Gallagher]] on 22 January 2004.<ref name=stampa2016>{{cite news | access-date = 3 June 2025 | url = https://www.lastampa.it/vatican-insider/en/2016/04/12/news/pope-appoints-french-born-christophe-pierre-as-the-new-nuncio-to-the-united-states-1.36594480/ | date = 12 April 2016 | first = Gerard | last=O'Connell | title = Pope appoints French-born Christophe Pierre, as the New Nuncio to the United States | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191206043952/https://www.lastampa.it/vatican-insider/en/2016/04/12/news/pope-appoints-french-born-christophe-pierre-as-the-new-nuncio-to-the-united-states-1.36594480/| archive-date =6 December 2019 | url-status=live }}</ref>
=== Mexico === On 22 March 2007, [[Pope Benedict XVI]] named Pierre as apostolic nuncio to Mexico.<ref>{{cite news|title=Perfil: Christophe Pierre, nuncio apostolico en Mexico|url=http://archivo.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/413626.html|accessdate=12 March 2016|work=El Universal|date=21 March 2007 |language=es}}</ref> He arrived just after the bishops of Latin America had produced their Aparecida statement and he later recalled being impressed by their achievement: "I read it, and I said, 'My God, this is new! The bishops finally have developed a pastoral plan which is the result of their synodal approach.' The fruit of Aparecida is a new pastoral approach. I saw it working in Mexico. It changes the church."<ref name=AM2023/>
After Pope Francis sharply criticized the Mexican bishops during his visit to Mexico in February 2016,<ref>{{cite news|last1=San Martín|first1=Inés|title=Pope Francis' political edge comes out to play in Latin America|url=https://cruxnow.com/church/2016/03/pope-francis-political-edge-comes-out-to-play-in-latin-america/|accessdate=14 March 2016|work=CRUX|date=March 10, 2016 |quote=Francis demanded that the bishops not live like 'princes,' calling on them to avoid 'proud self-sufficiency,' insisting they embrace transparency and reject corruption by 'trivial materialism,' gossip or intrigue, as well 'unproductive groups that seek benefits or common interests.... }}</ref> an editorial in the newspaper of the [[Archdiocese of Mexico City]] objected to the Pope's criticism and asked: "Does the Pope have some reason for scolding Mexican bishops? ... [Do] the improvised words of the Holy Father respond to bad advice from someone close to him? Who gave the Pope bad advice?"<ref>{{cite news|title=Church magazine in Mexico City questions Pope's rebuke of bishops|url=https://catholicherald.co.uk/church-magazine-in-mexico-city-questions-popes-rebuke-of-bishops/|accessdate=14 March 2016|work=Catholic Herald|agency=Catholic News Service|date=9 March 2016}}</ref> Pierre was generally recognized as the target of the editorial and the source of the "bad advice".<ref name="pentin">{{cite news|last1=Pentin|first1=Edward|title=Pope's Ambassador to Mexico to Be New Nuncio in Washington?|url=http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/popes-ambassador-to-mexico-to-be-new-nuncio-in-washington/#ixzz42eyntEqX|accessdate=12 March 2016|work=National Catholic Register|date=10 March 2016|archive-date=11 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311205718/http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/popes-ambassador-to-mexico-to-be-new-nuncio-in-washington#ixzz42eyntEqX|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Jorge E. Traslosheros wrote in ''[[Crux (online newspaper)|Crux]]'' that, while in Mexico, Pierre managed "to weave with an artist's skills unity among Catholics, thereby overcoming the political divisions and culture wars that have caused so much damage". Traslosheros credited Pierre with bridging Mexico's secular establishment and the Catholic populace.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://cruxnow.com/church/2016/05/16/why-the-u-s-won-the-lottery-with-new-papal-envoy/ | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160518114842/http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2016/05/16/why-the-u-s-won-the-lottery-with-new-papal-envoy/ | url-status = dead | archive-date = May 18, 2016 | accessdate = 19 August 2017 | first = Jorge E. | last = Traslosheros | date = 16 May 2016 | title = Why the U.S. won the lottery with new papal envoy | work = CRUX }}</ref>
=== United States === [[Pope Francis]] named Pierre apostolic nuncio to the United States on 12 April 2016, succeeding Archbishop [[Carlo Maria Viganò]].<ref>{{cite news|work=National Catholic Reporter| accessdate=12 April 2016| first=Joshua J. |last=McElwee| date= 12 April 2016|title=Francis replaces Vatican ambassador Vigano days after he's lauded by US bishops|url=http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/francis-replaces-vatican-ambassador-vigano-days-after-he-s-lauded-us-bishops}}</ref> He was the first Frenchman and the second Francophone to hold the position.<ref>{{cite news | access-date = 3 June 2025 |first=Edward|last=Pentin|url =https://www.ncregister.com/blog/popes-ambassador-to-mexico-to-be-new-nuncio-in-washington?amp | work = National Catholic Register | title =Pope's Ambassador to Mexico to Be New Nuncio in Washington? | date = 10 March 2016}}</ref> He later described his surprise that the American bishops were unaware of the Latin American bishops' synodal activity, their work at Aparecida, or that Pope Francis' ''[[Evangelii Gaudium]]'' was based on it.<ref name=AM2023/>
Advocating for immigrants, he joined demonstrations and meetings with Texas-Mexico border bishops in October 2016 in [[Nogales, Arizona]],<ref>{{cite news | agency = Catholic News Service | url = http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2016/nuncio-at-border-mass-prays-for-an-end-to-barriers-that-separate-people.cfm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170111022623/http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2016/nuncio-at-border-mass-prays-for-an-end-to-barriers-that-separate-people.cfm | url-status = dead | archive-date = January 11, 2017 | first = Nancy | last = Wiechec | title = Nuncio at border Mass prays for an end to barriers that separate people | date= 24 October 2016 | accessdate = 19 August 2017}}</ref> and in February 2016 in [[San Juan, Puerto Rico]].<ref>{{cite news | accessdate = 19 August 2017 | agency= Catholic News Service | url = http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2017/border-bishops-call-for-dignity-regardless-of-migration-condition.cfm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170820040007/http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2017/border-bishops-call-for-dignity-regardless-of-migration-condition.cfm | url-status = dead | archive-date = August 20, 2017 | date= 16 February 2017 | title = Border bishops call for dignity regardless of 'migration condition' |first =Rhina | last = Guidos}}</ref> Pierre celebrated Mass at the [[National Scout jamboree (Boy Scouts of America)|National Scout Jamboree]] in July 2017 and discussed his five years in Scouting in a sermon that tied Scouting's ideals to Christian service.<ref>{{cite news | accessdate = 19 August 2017 | url = https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2017/07/28/day-trumps-speech-popes-representative-tells-scouts-world-needs-values/ | work = CRUX | date = 28 July 2017 | title = Day before Trump's speech, pope's representative tells Scouts world needs their values | agency = Catholic News Service | archive-date = 20 August 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170820034844/https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2017/07/28/day-trumps-speech-popes-representative-tells-scouts-world-needs-values/ | url-status = dead }}</ref> The National Catholic Reporter described him as "a staunch defender of Francis in the U.S.".<ref>{{Cite web |last=White |first=Christopher |date=9 July 2023 |title=Pope Francis names 21 new cardinals, including Vatican's ambassador to US |url=https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/vatican-news/pope-francis-names-21-new-cardinals-including-vaticans-ambassador-us |access-date= |website=[[National Catholic Reporter]] |language=en}}</ref>
On 9 July 2023, Pope Francis announced his intention to make Pierre a cardinal at a consistory scheduled for 30 September.<ref>{{cite press release | access-date = 9 July 2023| publisher = Holy See Press Office | language = it | title = Le parole del Papa alla recita dell'Angelus, 09.07.2023 | url = https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2023/07/09/0502/01116.html }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=9 July 2023 |title=Pope names 21 new cardinals, including an American and his envoy to the U.S. |url=https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2023/07/pope-names-21-new-cardinals-including-an-american-and-his-envoy-to-the-u-s/ |access-date=10 July 2023|website=Crux }}</ref> At that consistory he was made Cardinal-Deacon of [[San Benedetto fuori Porta San Paolo]].<ref>{{cite press release | access-date = 1 October 2023 | date = 30 September 2023 | url = https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2023/09/30/230930b.html | title = Assignation of Titles and Deaconries to the new Cardinals, 30.09.2023 | publisher = Holy See Press Office}}</ref> Taking possession of his titular church in April 2024, he said that as nuncio he never felt rootless but had learned "to find roots everywhere".<ref>{{cite news | access-date = 6 May 2025 |first = Carol |last=Glatz| work= OSV News| url =https://www.osvnews.com/french-born-cardinal-has-decades-of-diplomatic-experience-in-americas-africa/ | date = | title = French-Born Cardinal has Decades of Diplomatic Experience in Americas, Africa}}</ref> He also said that rather than proclaiming absolutes the Church needs to understand that "to be pro-life is also to help the people concretely, not just to defend an idea, not to embrace a political party which is pro-life, but also to be on the ground, an actor to defend the values, because we are not just in favor of a few values. We are disciples of Jesus and the disciples are a witness and are committed to helping."<ref>{{cite news | title = Cardinal-elect Pierre: Polarization arises when we put ideas before people | access-date = | url =https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-09/cardinal-elect-christophe-pierre-usa-nuncio-interview.html | work = Vatican News | date = 7 September 2023 }}</ref> On 4 October 2023, he was named a member of the [[Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See]].<ref>{{cite press release | access-date = 3 June 2025 | publisher = Holy See Press Office | date = 4 October 2023|url = https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2023/10/04/231004b.html | title =Resignations and Appointments, 04.10.2023}}</ref>
In 2024, he was awarded an honorary degree from the [[University of Notre Dame]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 April 2024 |title=Distinguished leaders to receive Notre Dame honorary degrees, Laetare Medal |url=https://news.nd.edu/news/distinguished-leaders-to-receive-notre-dame-honorary-degrees-laetare-medal/ |access-date=3 May 2025}}</ref>
He participated as a [[Cardinal electors in the 2025 papal conclave|cardinal elector]] in the [[2025 papal conclave]] that elected [[Pope Leo XIV]].<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/scardc3.html| title=Cardinal Electors|date=6 May 2025|publisher=Catholic-Hierarchy.org|language=en|access-date=6 May 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250506193115/https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/scardc3.html|archive-date=6 May 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
==== 2026 meeting with Elbridge Colby ==== {{Further|2026 United States–Holy See rift}} In April 2026, ''[[The Free Press (CBS News)|The Free Press]]'' reported that on 22 January 2026, Under Secretary of War for Policy [[Elbridge Colby]] summoned Pierre to an "unprecedented" closed door "lecture" at the Pentagon.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hale |first=Christopher |title=The Pentagon Threatened Pope Leo XIV’s Ambassador With the Avignon Papacy |url=https://www.thelettersfromleo.com/p/the-pentagon-threatened-pope-leo |access-date=2026-04-08 |website=www.thelettersfromleo.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Ferraresi |first=Mattia |title=Why the Vatican and the White House Are on the Outs |url=https://www.thefp.com/p/why-the-vatican-and-the-white-house |access-date=2026-04-08 |website=www.thefp.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2026-04-08 |title=American-born Pope Leo may not visit US while Trump is president, report says |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/pope-leo-visit-us-trump-president-b2954080.html |access-date=2026-04-08 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref> According to ''The Free Press'', Colby, along with several colleagues, used the meeting to criticize Pope Leo XIV's annual "state of the world" speech given in January 2026, and told Pierre that the United States "has the military power to do whatever it wants—and that the Church had better take its side."<ref name=":0" /> Another official invoked the [[Avignon Papacy]], a period during the 1300s where the [[List of French monarchs|French Monarchy]] used its military power to control the papacy.<ref name=":0" />
The report also noted that Pope Leo XIV may not visit the United States through the duration of Donald Trump's second presidency.<ref name=":1" />
On 8 April 2026, Vice President [[JD Vance]] was questioned about the report while visiting Hungary.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2026-04-08 |title=JD Vance reacts to report US official issued threat to Vatican ambassador |url=https://www.newsweek.com/jd-vance-reacts-report-us-official-issued-threat-vatican-ambassador-11802350 |access-date=2026-04-09 |website=Newsweek |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jenkins |first=Jack |date=2026-04-09 |title=Pentagon-Vatican meeting latest flash point in Trump's clash with religious leaders |url=https://religionnews.com/2026/04/08/pentagon-vatican-meeting-latest-flash-point-in-trumps-clash-with-religious-leaders/ |access-date=2026-04-09 |website=RNS |language=en-US}}</ref> Vance said that "I would actually like to talk to Cardinal Cristophe Pierre and, frankly, to our people, to figure out what actually happened," adding "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."<ref name=":2" />
A [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] spokesperson told ''[[Newsweek]]'' that the report on the meeting was "highly exaggerated and distorted", adding "the meeting between Pentagon and Vatican officials was a respectful and reasonable discussion.<ref name=":2" /> We have nothing but the highest regard and welcome continued dialogue with the Holy See."<ref name=":2" /><ref>https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5824857-pentagon-denies-threats-vatican/</ref>
On 10 April 2026, the Vatican's spokesperson issued a statement saying "the narrative offered by some media outlets about this meeting does not correspond to the truth in any way."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rocca |first=Francis X. |date=2026-04-10 |title=The Iran War Showed a New Side of Pope Leo |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/04/pope-leo-iran-war/686757/ |access-date=2026-04-10 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref>
=== Retirement=== On 7 March 2026, [[Pope Leo XIV]] accepted Pierre's resignation as apostolic nuncio to the United States, as he had reached the age limit of 80, and appointed Archbishop [[Gabriele Giordano Caccia]] in his place.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-03/pope-leo-gabriele-caccia-apostolic-nuncio-usa.html| title= Pope appoints Archbishop Gabriele Caccia as Apostolic Nuncio to the U.S.|date= 7 March 2026}} </ref>
==See also== * [[Cardinals created by Francis]] * [[List of heads of the diplomatic missions of the Holy See]]
== References == {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{wikiquote}} {{commons category}} * [https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_pierre_clyg.html Pierre Card. Christophe Louis Yves Georges]. [[Holy See Press Office]]. [https://web.archive.org/web/20231001030752/https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_pierre_clyg.html Archived] from the original on 1 October 2023 * {{cite interview|url=https://rennes.catholique.fr/actualite/406395-interview-de-mgr-christophe-pierre/ |website= Diocese of Rennes | title=Interview de Mgr Christophe Pierre |date= 27 September 2023| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20231002185925/https://rennes.catholique.fr/actualite/406395-interview-de-mgr-christophe-pierre/ | archive-date=2 October 2023}} * [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bpierre.html Catholic Hierarchy]
{{s-start}} {{s-dip}} {{s-bef | before = [[Lorenzo Baldisseri]]}} {{s-ttl | title = [[Apostolic Nuncio to Haiti]] | years = 12 July 1995 – 10 May 1999}} {{s-aft | after = [[Luigi Bonazzi]]}} {{s-break}} {{s-bef | before = [[Luis Robles Díaz]]}} {{s-ttl | title = [[Apostolic Nunciature to Uganda|Apostolic Nuncio to Uganda]]| years = 10 May 1999 – 22 March 2007}} {{s-aft | after = [[Paul Tschang In-Nam]]}} {{s-break}} {{s-bef | before = [[Giuseppe Bertello]]}} {{s-ttl | title = [[Apostolic Nuncio to Mexico]]| years = 22 March 2007 – 12 April 2016}} {{s-aft| after=[[Franco Coppola]]}} {{s-break}} {{s-bef | before = [[Carlo Maria Vigano]]}} {{s-ttl | title = [[Apostolic Nunciature to the United States|Apostolic Nuncio to the United States]] | years = 12 April 2016 – 7 March 2026}} {{s-aft|after=[[Gabriele Giordano Caccia]]}} {{s-rel|ca}} {{s-bef | before = [[Emilio Bataclan]]}} {{s-ttl | title = [[Titular Archbishop]] of [[Gunela]] | years = 24 September 1995 – 30 September 2023}} {{s-aft| after= [[Keith J. Chylinski]]}} {{s-break}} {{s-bef | before = [[Achille Silvestrini]]}} {{s-ttl | title = [[San Benedetto fuori Porta San Paolo|Cardinal Deacon of San Benedetto fuori Porta San Paolo]] | years = 30 September 2023 – present}} {{s-inc}} {{s-end}}
{{Subject bar |portal1= Biography |portal2= Catholicism |portal3= France}} {{College of Cardinals}} {{Cardinals created by Francis}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pierre, Christophe}} [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:1946 births]] [[Category:Apostolic nuncios to Haiti]] [[Category:Apostolic nuncios to Mexico]] [[Category:Apostolic nuncios to Uganda]] [[Category:Apostolic nuncios to the United States]] [[Category:20th-century Roman Catholic titular archbishops]] [[Category:21st-century Roman Catholic titular archbishops]] [[Category:French Roman Catholic titular archbishops]] [[Category:Catholic University of Paris alumni]] [[Category:Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy alumni]] [[Category:Pontifical Lateran University alumni]] [[Category:Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II]] [[Category:Cardinals created by Pope Francis]] [[Category:21st-century French cardinals]]