Military Archbishop Condemns Iran War in Easter Sunday Interview: Not ‘Sponsored by the Lord’

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, the head of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, rebuked Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for invoking Jesus Christ’s name while discussing the war in Iran.

Broglio joined CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe for a Face the Nation interview that is set to air in full on Easter Sunday, and he got candid about his feelings on the war. He also offered counsel to soldiers currently serving, advising them to “do as little harm as you can.”

Asked if the war is “justified,” Broglio argued it is not.

“I would think under the justify- under the just war theory, it is not because while there is a- there was a threat with nuclear arms, it’s a- it’s compensating for a threat before the- the threat is actually- is actually realized,” he said.

Broglio said he aligns with Pope Leo XIV in calling for negotiations to bring an end to the war.

“I realize also that you could say, well, with whom are you going to negotiate? And that, that is- that is a problem. But in the meantime, lives are being lost, both there and also among our- our troops. So it’s, it is- it is a concern,” he said.

The archbishop’s interview was conducted before a U.S. fighter jet reportedly went down over Iran, with at least one of the two pilots reportedly since being rescued. More than a dozen U.S. service members have been lost since the U.S. and Israel first launched strikes against Iran on February 28.

Broglio also offered advice for Catholics in the service who may be feeling concerns about the justification for the war.

He said:

I would think it depends on where you are in the- in the chain of command. Obviously, you know, the Marine who’s given an order, he’s not in a position really, to resist that order. I mean, he has to obey unless it’s, it’s- unless it’s clearly immoral. And then he would probably have to speak to his, you know, to his chaplain, to his chain of command. The question might be, would, you know would- would- would generals or admirals have space to perhaps say, can we look at this a different way? But having spoken to some of them too, they’re- they’re also in the same- in the same dilemma. So I guess my counsel would be to do as little harm as you- as you can, and to try and preserve innocent lives.

He added, “That is actually something we’ve done a lot of work on as an archdiocese, the whole question of moral injury. So, I mean, even if you obey a legitimate command, but you have to kill someone, that’s going to leave some- some traces in, you know, in your- in your heart or- or on your soul.”

Broglio also called it “problematic” that Hegseth has used the name Jesus while discussing the Iran war and argued this would not be a war “sponsored by the Lord.”

“It’s a little bit problematic in the sense that the Lord Jesus certainly brought a message of- a message of peace and- and also, I think war is always a last resort,” he said. “Now, you know, they may have information that led them to think that was the only choice they had. I’m not making a judgment about that because I really don’t know, but I do think that it’s hard to- to cast this war, you know, as- as- as something that would be sponsored by the Lord.”

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