HAMILTON, Canada 

The Catholic archbishop responsible for all US military personnel declared that America's war with Iran fails the church's moral criteria for a just conflict, according to a new interview.

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who leads the archdiocese for the military services and oversees every Catholic chaplain in the US armed forces, made the remarks to CBS News in an interview set to air on April 5, Easter Sunday, one of the holiest days for Catholics and Western Christian denominations.

In excerpts from the interviews, asked directly whether the conflict is justified, Broglio said, "Under just war theory, no," arguing that the war targets a potential nuclear threat rather than an actual one. Arguing for the need for war, US President Donald Trump has claimed there was an imminent threat from Iran.

Broglio advised Catholic troops caught between military duty and personal conscience to "do as little harm as you can, and preserve innocent lives."

He also criticized US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's repeated public invocations of Jesus Christ to frame the war as righteous, calling them "problematic."

"It's hard to cast this war as something that would be sponsored by the Lord," he said, arguing that Jesus "brought a message of peace."

The interview is set to air as Pope Leo XIV has also publicly condemned the conflict, and as the war is well into its second month.

Among prominent Catholics in important US pubic positions is Vice President JD Vance, who converted to the faith in 2019 and has just released a book about his conversion. Vance met Pope Leo last Easter Sunday – April 20, 2025 – in Vatican City.