Pete Hegseth sparked global backlash after stating soldiers are fighting in Iran “in the name of Jesus Christ” — framing the war effort in explicitly religious terms.

The response from Pope Leo XIV was swift and pointed. He warned that using faith to justify war is a distortion of Christianity — saying the mission of Jesus has been “twisted by a desire for domination, entirely foreign to his teachings.”

He went even further in other remarks, stressing that God does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, and calling for an immediate end to violence and a return to dialogue.

It’s not just political — it’s a fundamental disagreement over what religion should mean in a time of war.