Hegseth responds to Pope’s criticism: ‘We know what authority we have’

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday defended the U.S. military operation against Iran amid President Trump’s ongoing feud with Pope Leo XIV, head of the Catholic Church.  

“The Pope’s gonna do his thing, that’s fine,” Hegseth told reporters at a Pentagon briefing. “We know what our mission is, we know what authority we have. We’re very clear about that, we follow that — the orders of the president.”

He added: “We’ve got lawyers all over the place looking at what we’re doing and why we’re doing it and giving us every authority necessary under the Constitution and under our laws to execute across the spectrum.”

U.S. Catholic bishops and Vatican officials have stated that the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran does not meet the “just war” standards for conflict, which requires it to be a last resort and not a preemptive strike.

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, head of the Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services USA, in early April told CBS News that under the just war theory, the fight “is not” righteous. 

Pope Leo, the first American-born Catholic pontiff, also has criticized the war and called for an end to the fighting, saying “God does not bless any conflict.” 

The comments have angered Trump, who said in a Truth Social post that the pope is “WEAK on crime and terrible for Foreign Policy.” Responding to pushback from the comments, the president said he has “a right to disagree with the pope.”

“Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician,” Trump wrote in a post online. “It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church!”

The pope pushed back, saying he has “no fear” of the Trump administration.

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