Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth responded to Pope Leo XIV’s frequent criticisms of the Iran war on Friday morning, telling reporters Leo is “going to do his thing” and that the United States military has “every authority necessary” to fight, amid a mounting clash between the Trump administration and the Vatican.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth addressed Pope Leo XIV's criticisms of the war in Iran on Friday. (Photo by ANNABELLE GORDON / AFP via Getty Images)
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Hegseth, during a news conference Friday, said the Pope is “going to do his thing” and “that’s fine” after a reporter asked about Leo’s criticisms of the war in Iran and a conference of Catholic bishops suggesting the war violates the Church’s just war theory.
“We know what our mission is. We know what authority we have. We're very clear about that,” Hegseth said, saying the military follows the orders of President Donald Trump and has “every authority necessary under the Constitution and under our laws” to pursue the war in Iran.
Hegseth’s comments come one day after Leo offered his latest critiques of the war, telling reporters on his flight back to the Vatican from a pastoral visit to Africa “many innocent people have died” and urging all parties involved to “promote peace, remove the threat of war, and respect international law.”
Leo said the negotiations to end the war are unclear, saying, “one day Iran says yes and the United States says no, and vice versa.”
The war has created a “chaotic, critical situation for the global economy,” Leo said, adding, “there is also an entire population in Iran of innocent people suffering because of this war.”
“As a Church—I repeat—as a pastor, I cannot be in favor of war,” Leo said.
The Pentagon and the Catholic Church have sparred over the war in Iran, but a report in the Free Press claimed tensions between the Department of Defense and the Vatican date back to January, when Pentagon officials allegedly held a tense meeting with Church leaders. The Free Press claimed U.S. officials warned Church leaders to take the United States’ side on international affairs, raising the subject of the Avignon Papacy—a period in the 14th century when France overthrew the pope and exerted control over the Church. Pentagon officials denied the report as “highly exaggerated” and said the meeting was “respectful.” But Leo has since rebuked leaders for using religion as a justification for the war, as Hegseth has done. “God does not want this,” Leo said earlier this week. In March, Hegseth prayed for troops to inflict “overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy … We ask these things with bold confidence in the mighty and powerful name of Jesus Christ.” He also drew criticism for quoting what appeared to be a monologue from “Pulp Fiction,” saying it was a prayer adapted from a Bible verse, at a Pentagon worship service earlier this month.
Trump has criticized Leo multiple times this month over his opposition to the war, saying in a Truth Social post the pope is “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” urging him to get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense” and “stop catering to the Radical Left.” Trump reportedly pulled funding from a Catholic charity earlier this week that offers shelter and care to migrant children, and he said last week he doesn’t think meeting Leo—whom he has never met—is “necessary.” Leo, the first pope from the United States, said last week it is “not in my interest” to debate Trump, also saying some of his remarks have been interpreted as shots at the president when they are really broader calls for peace. Vice President JD Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, also warned Leo last week to “be careful” speaking on matters of theology, prompting an apparent rebuke from the conference of U.S. Catholic bishops, which said Leo is speaking as “supreme pastor of the universal Church” and is upholding longstanding Catholic teachings that war is only justified “in self-defense, once all peace efforts have failed.”
Pope Leo Says It Is ‘Not In My Interest’ To Debate Trump Amid Washington-Vatican Clash (Forbes)
U.S. Bishops Rebuff JD Vance After He Says Pope Should ‘Be Careful’ Talking About Theology (Forbes)
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