At a Pentagon press briefing, marking the eighth week of a war initiated by the U.S. and Israel, Hegseth waved off Leo\u2019s previous remarks<\/a>, in which the Vatican leader had condemned using religious justification<\/a> for the war and called for peace and dialogue.<\/p>\n \u201cPope\u2019s gonna do his thing, that\u2019s fine,\u201d Hegseth said, in response to a question about the first American pope\u2019s comments. \u201cWe know what our mission is, we know what authority we have, we\u2019re very clear about that.\u201d<\/p>\n The defense secretary insisted military lawyers were \u201call over the place,\u201d ensuring they have the authority to carry out Trump\u2019s orders.<\/a><\/p>\n Hegseth has previously invoked Christianity as a moral justification for the war. <\/p>\n During an interview with 60 Minutes in March, <\/a>Hegseth said the U.S. was \u201cfighting religious fanatics who seek nuclear capability in order for some religious Armageddon.\u201d <\/p>\n He said he encouraged troops to \u201clean into their faith\u201d and \u201crely on God.\u201d<\/p>\n Hegseth has recited prayers and Bible quotes <\/a>during press conferences. In March, he ended a Pentagon presser with a quote from Psalm 144:1: \u201cBlessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle.\u201d In April, he recited a Pulp Fiction quote<\/a>, claiming it was inspired by Ezekiel 25:17. <\/p>\n \u201cWe feel very confident, across the spectrum, about what we\u2019re doing and why we\u2019re doing it in the legal justification that we\u2019re following in order to do it,\u201d Hegseth told reporters Friday.<\/p>\n Trump and members of his administration have found themselves embroiled in a feud with Pope Leo. <\/p>\n Over the last few weeks, the Catholic church leader has issued <\/a>a series of statements condemning war and rebuking those who use God\u2019s name \u201cto justify death-dealing choices<\/a> and actions.\u201d <\/p>\n He\u2019s blamed the \u201cdelusion of omnipotence\u201d for fueling the conflict. The pope called Trump\u2019s threat to wipe out the Iranian civilization \u201ctruly unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n In response, Trump has said he\u2019s \u201cnot a fan\u201d of the pope, raising tensions among Catholic conservatives.<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Defense](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/2272220503.jpg\")
Defense Secretary Hegseth has invoked Christianity while justifying the U.S. war with Iran \u2013 but brushed off Pope Leo\u2019s warnings about using religion to justify war (AFP\/Getty)<\/p>\n![\"Pope](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/2272077724.jpg\")
Pope Leo has repeatedly condemned those who wage war and those who invoke religion to justify war, drawing criticsms from Trump administration officials (AFP\/Getty)<\/p>\n![\"Trump](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/A-post-on-U-S--President-Donald-Trumps-Truth-Social-account-depicts-an-AI-generated-image-of-himself.jpeg\")
Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself appearing as a Christ-like figure in a red and white robe, using golden light to heal a sick man earlier this month but later deleted it after backlash (@realDonaldTrump\/Truth Social)<\/p>\n