The Archbishop who oversees all U.S. Catholic chaplains in the military told an interviewer that he “could not see any circumstances” in which military action against Greenland could be morally justified, and that it could be “morally acceptable to disobey” orders to attack the nation.
Archbishop Timothy Broglio told a British interviewer that U.S. troops who might refuse orders to attack Greenland would be “in a situation where they’re being ordered to do something that’s morally questionable.”
Broglio is the Archbishop of the Archdiocese for the U.S. Military, the Catholic church’s arm that oversees its chaplains in every branch of the military. When Task & Purpose reached a spokesperson for the archdiocese for clarification or follow-up on his comments, the official directed the questions to a recording of Broglio’s interview.
“It doesn’t seem acceptable to invade a friendly nation,” Broglio told the BBC program “Sunday,” which covered several stories on issues of faith. “Ya know, it would be one thing if the people of Greenland wanted to be annexed, that would be one situation. But taking it by force when we already have treaties that allow for a military installation in Greenland, it doesn’t seem acceptable to invade a friendly nation.”
Broglio is not a member of the U.S. military and was appointed to his role in 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI. As an Archbishop within the church, he does not generally issue formal orders to military chaplains beyond matters of church practices. Rather, his position is akin to that of a bishop in a large city that advises priests in neighborhood parishes.
Broglio did not encourage U.S. troops to disobey orders, but said that those who might in the case of Greenland action might face a moment where they would be justified in doing so.
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“I am obviously worried because they could be put in a situation where they are being ordered to do something that is morally questionable,” Broglio said. “It would be very difficult for a soldier or a Marine or a sailor by himself to disobey an order such as that, but strictly speaking, he or she would be within the realm of their own conscience, would be morally acceptable to disobey that order. But that is perhaps putting that individual in an untenable position, and that’s my concern.”
Broglio has provided public support to conservative Pentagon policy changes like banning trans troops and ending support for abortion care. But he issued a statement in December critical of Pentagon operations in the Caribbean, in which U.S. military forces have killed close to 100 civilians in boats U.S. officials have deemed to be “narco-terrorists,” despite a lack of public evidence or legal review.
Though exact numbers are hard to come by, several Pentagon sources and other public reports put the number of Catholic priests in the military at roughly 300, or about 10% of all chaplains. Chaplains represent over 100 faiths, with several Christian denominations and Judaism holding the largest representations.
Broglio did not name President Donald Trump specifically in the interview, but reacted strongly when the BBC reporter asked if Trump’s recent claim that he was driven by “my morality” concerned him. The Archbishop replied: “I’m a little bit concerned because we do have international law and we do have, obviously, moral principles that should guide all of us. Perhaps some of the rhetoric is more concerning than the actions, but some of those actions have left room for concern.”
“I was concerned that men and women under my charge were being forced to be engaged in situations that are certainly not necessary.”
