Pete Hegsethhead of the Pentagon, has once again invoked a divine purpose and a Christian moral foundation to justify the offensive in Iran, asking the American people to pray “every day, on their knees” for a military victory in the Middle East “in the name of Jesus Christ“.
The US Secretary of War also contradicts the Pope Leo XIV (of American origin) who has asked on different occasions for the end of violence in the region and who this Holy Week wanted to show his vision of what he considers to be the good path in the eyes of God.
The Pontiff expressed during the morning mass on Holy Thursday that the Christian mission has often been “distorted by a desire for dominationtotally alien to the way of Jesus Christ”.
Without directly mentioning Hegseth, who has resorted on different occasions to his Christian faith and morals to defend US offensive military orders abroad, the Pope also pointed out how Christianity has been exploited for purposes that, in his opinion, do not conform to Catholic doctrine.
“We tend to consider ourselves powerful when we dominate, victorious when we destroy our equals, great when they fear us. […] God has given us an example, not of how to dominate, but of how to liberate; not how to destroy life, but how to give it“Leo XIV continued in the homily in a clear reference to the war.
Before these important days for the Christian community began, the Pontiff asked to pray this Holy Week “for the sick, the poor and the innocent victims of war.”
Hegseth, Catholic and warlike
Hegseth often refers to the importance of faith both in his personal life and, he believes, in the identity of the United States. At the same time, he holds the position of top civilian leader of the most powerful army in the world.
After the murder of Charlie Kirk, He released a video in which he combined his voice reciting the Lord’s Prayer with images of missiles being launched, warships in full operation and paratroopers descending from the sky.
However, the discrepancies with God’s highest representative on Earth about how a good Christian would act are clear.
It is not the first time that the Pope defends the word of Jesus in recent weeks against the speeches of the head of the Pentagon: last March he already used Catholic rhetoric in this same context, suggesting that All pumps are guaranteed by the divine.
Hegseth spoke “overwhelming force” of the US military to rain “death and destruction from heaven” about his Iranian enemies, whom he called “apocalyptic.”
Then, he also asked American citizens for victory in battle and the safety of their soldiers: “Every day, on your knees, with your families, in your schools, in your churches,” he said, “in the name of Jesus Christ.”
“The providence of our almighty God is there protecting those soldiers, and we are committed to this mission,” he said on another occasion.
All this without the intention, apparently, that this oratory could elevate the conflict to a confrontation between people with different beliefs and religions, taking into account that Iran is a Muslim nation with a Shiite majority.
To this, the Pope reacted emphatically, ensuring that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war” because he rejects it and emphasizing that no one can use faith “to justify confrontation.”
“Lay down your weapons, remember that you are brothers!” said Leo XIV before thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
And the White House replied: “I don’t think there is anything wrong with our military leaders, or the president himself, calling on the American people to pray for our members of the armed forces and for those who serve our country abroad. It seems to me, in fact, a very noble act,” declared White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt.
The Pope, low-profile moralist
Leo XVI, since he arrived at the Vatican, has preferred to use your influence through third partieswithout directly getting involved in conflict mediation, unlike Pope Francis in the last months of his life: Benedict XVI held talks in the Holy See with leaders such as JD Vance or Volodymyr Zelensky, in the middle of the war in Gaza and Ukraine.
Despite this, Asked by journalists as he left his residence in Castel Gandolfo last Tuesday, the American Pontiff stated that he hopes that Trump is looking for a way to reduce violence and hatred in the Middle East and other regions, and expressed his hope that the war can end even before Easter.
“I have been told that the president Trump said he wanted to end the war. “I hope that you are looking for a way to reduce the amount of violence, which would be a significant contribution to curbing the hatred that is constantly being created and increasing in the Middle East and elsewhere,” he said.
“I will continue to make this call to all the world’s leaders: come back to the table to talk, let’s look for solutions to the problems, let’s look for ways to reduce the amount of violence we are promoting,” he added.
In this sense, this Friday he once again asked the leaders involved in the war that diplomatic means be the way forward.
In In a telephone conversation with the president of Israel, Isaac Herzog, he defended the “need to reopen” channels of dialogue to achieve a “just peace” in this war that has already exceeded a month of continuous bombings.
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