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The pursuing is the afloat transcript of the interrogation with Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services U.S.A. a information of which aired connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" connected April 5, 2026. The interrogation was taped connected April 2, 2026.
ED O'KEEFE: We crook present to Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services U.S.A, which oversees much than 200 Catholic priests serving arsenic chaplains successful the United States military. Thank you truthful overmuch for being here. We truly admit it, and portion of the crushed we wanted to perceive from you is yours is simply a unsocial ministry successful the consciousness that you don't oversee a geographic portion oregon immoderate existent important religion existent estate, you fundamentally curate connected bases and the battlefield. And truthful fixed ongoing operations close present successful the Middle East, successful the Caribbean, successful different parts of the world, I'm curious, what is your spiritual guidance to a work subordinate who comes seeking it?
ARCHBISHOP TIMOTHY BROGLIO: Well, convey you precise overmuch for the opportunity, and it's- it varies depending on, connected wherever the idiosyncratic is. We're dealing with a concern successful the Middle East now, for example, wherever the chaplains are inactive successful place, but galore of the dependents person been moved to Europe oregon backmost to the United States. So they find themselves successful a concern wherever the faithful to whom they were ministering are either gone oregon they're successful hotels. So that changes the full reality. And past determination are others, of course, who are with the troops that are- person been moved in. And of course, their minister- ministry, successful a definite sense, is simply a small more- a small much regular, but it's inactive a situation due to the fact that of the situation.
ED O'KEEFE: Given that you're a clergyman ministering to radical successful the military, I ideate overmuch of your work, overmuch of your focus, is built astir St Augustine and the thought of conscionable war, oregon erstwhile is warfare justified, the thought that it's lone waged arsenic a necessity and successful bid that bid whitethorn beryllium obtained, and much broadly, perhaps, that the effect is proportional.
ARCHBISHOP BROGLIO: Correct.
ED O'KEEFE: That's to gloss implicit beauteous heavy teachings, but essentially, that's the basal of it. I cognize that aft the president, for example, threatened to instrumentality Greenland by force, you had said successful an interview, it doesn't look acceptable to invade a affable nation, and that specified rhetoric tarnishes the images of the United States. You said it would beryllium an amerciable and immoral bid to termination deliberately the survivors aboard an alleged Venezuelan cause vessel if they don't airs an contiguous lethal menace to our equipped forces. So fixed what's going connected successful the Middle East, I'm curious. Is the warfare with Iran justified?
ARCHBISHOP BROGLIO: I would deliberation nether the justify- nether the conscionable warfare theory, it is not due to the fact that portion determination is a- determination was a menace with atomic arms, it's a- it's compensating for a menace earlier the- the menace is actually- is really realized. And I deliberation determination I would- I would enactment myself up with Pope Leo, who has been urging for negotiation. I recognize besides that you could say, well, with whom are you going to negotiate? And that, that is- that is simply a problem. But successful the meantime, lives are being lost, some determination and besides among our- our troops. So it's, it is- it is simply a concern.
ED O'KEEFE: And truthful if you're proceeding from a work subordinate who says, if your teachings, if your guidance is this is not justified, what americium I to bash arsenic a Catholic who's successful the service?
ARCHBISHOP BROGLIO: And that- that's a precise bully question, due to the fact that obviously, the mode conscientious objection is acceptable up successful the United States military, you cannot entity to a circumstantial warfare oregon a circumstantial action. You tin lone entity to, I'm opposed to war. So I would deliberation it depends connected wherever you are successful the- successful the concatenation of command. Obviously, you know, the Marine who's fixed an order, he's not successful a presumption really, to defy that order. I mean, helium has to obey unless it's, it's- unless it's intelligibly immoral. And past helium would astir apt person to talk to his, you know, to his chaplain, to his concatenation of command. The question mightiness be, would, you cognize would- would- would generals oregon admirals person abstraction to possibly say, tin we look astatine this a antithetic way? But having spoken to immoderate of them too, they're- they're besides successful the same- successful the aforesaid dilemma. So I conjecture my counsel would beryllium to bash arsenic small harm arsenic you- arsenic you can, and to effort and sphere guiltless lives.
ED O'KEEFE: And you're approaching this from a motivation perspective. This isn't a partisan thing. This isn't ideological for you oregon geopolitical. It's- you're a motivation leader, truthful evidently idiosyncratic successful the work who grapples with this volition question guidance from you and your member chaplains. How often bash they travel to talking astir however to question forgiveness, possibly for being portion of this?
ARCHBISHOP BROGLIO: That is really thing we've done a batch of enactment connected arsenic an archdiocese, the full question of motivation injury. So, I mean, adjacent if you obey a morganatic command, but you person to termination someone, that's going to permission some- immoderate traces in, you know, successful your- successful your bosom or- oregon connected your soul. And truthful determination we've tried to supply structures and- and assistance to- to radical successful that situation, to effort and assistance them heal from those- from those situations. And that's not a question of making a judgment. It's conscionable a question of healing the idiosyncratic who finds himself successful that, oregon herself, successful that- successful that situation.
ED O'KEEFE: Yeah, you obviously, and- and your- and your member priests are connected Pentagon spot taking orders evidently done the subject concatenation of command. There's been a batch of speech successful caller weeks, abstracted from the existent warfare itself, regarding the rhetoric of accidental the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, who openly invokes Jesus repeatedly erstwhile talking astir the warfare with Iran especially, and has prayed openly from the Pentagon property country for blessings upon American work members. Obviously his close to commune successful nationalist and nevertheless helium sees fit. But what bash you marque of- of that benignant of absorption and- and benignant of trying to formed this warfare arsenic thing that possibly Jesus would justify?
ARCHBISHOP BROGLIO: It's- it's a small spot problematic successful the consciousness that the Lord Jesus surely brought a connection of- a connection of bid and- and also, I deliberation warfare is ever a past resort. Now, you know, they whitethorn person accusation that led them to deliberation that that was the lone prime they had. I'm not making a judgement astir that due to the fact that I truly don't know, but I bash deliberation that it's hard to- to formed this war, you know, as- as- arsenic thing that would beryllium sponsored by- by the Lord.
ED O'KEEFE: And that's surely thing the Pope has suggested himself, right? Not- not commenting connected the secretary, but commenting connected warfare generally, that this thought that- that, you know, if you're praying for the occurrence of the war, what is it helium said recently, helium said, "God does not perceive to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them." That would look to enactment a batch of what's going connected close present successful conflict.
ARCHBISHOP BROGLIO: It certainly- it surely would. And I- I crook backmost to- conscionable to Paul VI, who- who made precise fewer trips extracurricular of- of Italy, but erstwhile helium did travel to the U.N. helium made that melodramatic appeal, which- which I saw unrecorded connected tv arsenic a- arsenic a small kid. You know, j'aime pas la guerre, j'aime pas la guerre, ne'er again war, ne'er again war. And- and yet, that was successful 1965, I think. Now, truthful galore years later, we're still- we're inactive successful this situation. So I think- I deliberation I would beryllium in- I deliberation Pope Leo would decidedly enactment saying that, you know, we person to find a concern wherever men and women tin beryllium down and- and- and find avenues of peace
ED O'KEEFE: In our remaining moments, you evidently curate chiefly to Catholic work members, but this is simply a beatified season, Passover underway, Ramadan precocious having ended, and yet connected the battlefield, it doesn't substance to your member chaplains, whether they're Catholic oregon Protestant oregon Jewish, what's the interfaith dialog similar these days, particularly astatine a clip of war?
ARCHBISHOP BROGLIO: I deliberation it's- it's- it's precise steadfast successful the consciousness that determination is simply a genuine tendency to collaborate. Actually, I cognize astir of the rabbis successful the services, due to the fact that we often question astatine the same- the aforesaid time. For us, Christmas and Easter. For them, Passover and Hanukkah. And they're less successful number, truthful I surely get to conscionable them, but determination is simply a genuine tone of- of collaboration, and there's a tendency to facilitate the enactment of- of chaplains. And I deliberation that's a very- that's a precise steadfast thing.
ED O'KEEFE: Well, convey you for being present connected this Easter weekend, and convey you obviously, for your service, not lone to the country, but to the faith. We admit you spending immoderate clip with us.
ARCHBISHOP BROGLIO: Thank you. Thank you precise overmuch for the opportunity.
English (US) ·