The archbishop overseeing U.S. military services stated that it “would be morally acceptable” for troops to disregard orders conflicting with their conscience as the Trump Administration intensifies its military actions, aligning with other prominent Catholic leaders in raising concerns about President Donald Trump’s aggressive foreign policy decisions.
“It would be extremely challenging for a soldier, marine, or sailor to disobey an order on their own,” Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio told the . “But from a strict moral standpoint, within their own conscience, it would be acceptable to defy that order—though that might place the individual in an impossible situation, which is what worries me.”
When queried if he was “worried” about the troops in his archdiocese, Broglio replied: “I am certainly worried because they could face situations where they’re ordered to do something morally suspect.”
Broglio, who has led the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. military archdiocese since 2007, specifically opposed Trump’s ongoing threats to annex Greenland.
“Greenland is a Danish territory,” the archbishop noted. “It doesn’t seem logical for the United States to attack and occupy a friendly country.”
Several other senior Catholic bishops and Pope Leo XIV have also voiced strong concerns in recent weeks as U.S. forces removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power and the President has issued threats against other countries and territories, including his renewed effort to obtain Greenland. The Pope, who—along with multiple U.S. bishops—has also Trump’s immigration crackdown, recently criticized a “diplomacy rooted in force” in an .
“War has become fashionable again, and a eagerness for war is growing,” the pontiff said. He further called for respecting “the will of the Venezuelan people” in light of “recent events” and addressed other global regions impacted by conflict.
On Monday, three senior cardinals heading U.S. dioceses issued a joint inspired by Leo’s remarks, in which they challenged “the moral basis for America’s global actions.”
“Developments in Venezuela, Ukraine, and Greenland have raised fundamental questions about the use of military force and the definition of peace,” wrote Cardinals Blase Cupich (archbishop of Chicago), Robert McElroy (archbishop of D.C.), and Joseph Tobin (archbishop of Newark), adding, “Our nation’s moral role in combating global evil, upholding the right to life and human dignity, and defending religious liberty are all being scrutinized.”
They continued to advocate for a “truly moral foreign policy” and emphasized that “military action should only be a last resort in extreme cases, not a standard tool of national policy.”
Trump has also encountered opposition to his foreign policy from several and congressional lawmakers, including some members of .
In November, six Democratic lawmakers published a informing members of the military and intelligence community that they not only could refuse unlawful orders but were obligated to do so.
“Our laws are unambiguous: You may reject illegal orders,” the lawmakers stated. “You must reject illegal orders. No one is required to follow orders that breach the law or our Constitution.”
The group—all veterans or former intelligence analysts—included Sen. Elissa Slotkin (Michigan), Sen. Mark Kelly (Arizona), Reps. Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan (Pennsylvania), Rep. Maggie Goodlander (New Hampshire), and Rep. Jason Crow (Colorado). They didn’t mention specific orders troops might receive. However, the video was released as Trump faced criticism for deploying troops to multiple U.S. cities during his crime and immigration crackdown, as well as for his Administration’s deadly strikes on boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific that it claimed were carrying drugs.
Following the video’s release, Trump accused the group of “,” and the lawmakers have stated they are under investigation by the Administration for their involvement.
Last week, Deluzio, Houlahan, and Goodlander said they had from the Justice Department regarding the video, while Slotkin and Crow noted that Jeanine Pirro, the D.C. U.S. attorney general, had contacted them to request interviews.
The Pentagon Kelly—a retired Navy captain—thereby cutting his military pension. Kelly sued Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, arguing the action was unconstitutional.
Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, military members take an to “obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me.” Military law strongly presumes orders are lawful, but service members may disobey unlawful orders—and can be prosecuted for following clearly illegal orders, like war crimes. While Trump and other Administration officials have claimed the lawmakers’ video comments were “seditious” and illegal, legal experts that their message was not unlawful.
Broglio’s remarks come as Trump prepares to arrive in Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum, where his plans to take control of Greenland are expected to be discussed with European leaders in what is being viewed as an emergency summit.