A Rare but Growing Courage

The Archdiocese for the Military Services will host the first Catholic Military Conference from November 9 to 11. Sponsored by the nonterritorial archdiocese, the three day event offers formation, fellowship, and prayer based on the Church's Just War tradition for Catholic service members and their families.

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who leads the military archdiocese, has recently criticized several actions by the current administration. Broglio previously stated it would be morally acceptable for Catholic soldiers to disobey orders to attack Greenland if the orders were unjust. He also described the administration's assassinations of suspected drug traffickers at sea as the illegal and immoral killing of noncombatants.

The conference features a plenary speaker who is critical of the war in Iran. This comes as Pope Leo XIV has labeled the current war as unjust. Broglio also recently denounced a proposal by Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth to livestream the military execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, calling it a public spectacle that would imitate terrorist barbarism. Broglio noted that any Catholic soldier assigned to a firing squad should request to be excused from such duty.