Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday pushed back against Pope Leo XIV's criticism of the U.S.-led military campaign in Iran, insisting the Pentagon has clear legal and constitutional backing for its actions. The remarks came amid an escalating public feud between President Trump and the first American-born pontiff.
“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.”
Hegseth stressed that the administration has thoroughly vetted the legality of the operation. “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,” he added.
The defense secretary’s comments come as U.S. Catholic bishops and Vatican officials have publicly questioned whether the conflict meets traditional just war criteria, which require that military action be a last resort and not a preemptive strike. Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who leads the Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services USA, told CBS News in early April that the war “is not” righteous under just war theory.
Pope Leo has also directly condemned the hostilities, stating, “God does not bless any conflict.” His remarks have infuriated Trump, who took to Truth Social to accuse the pope of being “WEAK on crime and terrible for Foreign Policy.” The president further wrote, “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. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church!”
Trump insisted he has “a right to disagree with the pope,” while the pontiff responded by saying he has “no fear” of the administration. The clash marks a rare direct confrontation between a sitting U.S. president and the head of the Catholic Church.
The Pentagon’s legal rationale is central to the administration’s defense of the Iran campaign, which has faced repeated congressional challenges. Senate Republicans have blocked multiple attempts to curb Trump’s military authority in Iran, most recently a fifth effort that failed to advance. Meanwhile, House Democrats, led by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, have targeted Hegseth and other cabinet officials for removal as pressure mounts on the Trump cabinet.
Hegseth’s briefing also touched on the broader strategic context, including the administration’s push for a historic $1.5 trillion defense budget that would fund initiatives like the Golden Dome missile defense system and a major drone expansion. The defense secretary’s steadfast stance underscores the administration’s determination to press ahead despite growing clerical and political opposition.
