FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 14, 2026

 

Catholics Vote Common Good Condemns Hegseth’s Push to Weaponize Faith in the Military

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Denise Murphy McGraw, National Co-Chair of Catholics Vote Common Good, issued the following statement regarding Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s new Office of Religious Affairs:

 

America’s service members deserve spiritual care, respect for their beliefs and leadership worthy of their sacrifice. They should never have to wonder whether their faith, or their decision not to practice one, makes them less valued in uniform.

 

Secretary Hegseth’s creation of an Office of Religious Affairs reporting directly to him, with a mandate that includes assessing spiritual fitness, raises deeply troubling questions about government intrusion into matters of conscience. His description of military service as a spiritual battle makes those concerns especially urgent.

 

We condemn the use of Christianity to advance an agenda that risks dividing our troops by religion and turning faith into a test of belonging. The secretary of defense has no business appointing himself the arbiter of anyone’s relationship with God.

 

Our American Pope Leo XIV offered a powerful warning in Cameroon in April, condemning “those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic or political gain.” Those words should give Secretary Hegseth pause. 

 

As Catholics, we understand how profoundly faith can sustain people through fear, grief and sacrifice. That is precisely why we must speak out when political leaders risk exploiting it. Spiritual care requires trust and freedom of conscience. It cannot be reduced to a readiness score or shaped around the religious preferences of a political appointee.

 

The department’s memo says the office must not compel religious participation or diminish the rights of people of any faith or no faith.

 

That promise demands enforceable safeguards, transparent oversight and accountability. A sentence on paper cannot, by itself, protect a service member who feels pressure from a superior to conform. 

 

We call on Congress to demand answers about how spiritual fitness will be assessed, what information will be collected and how service members will be protected from coercion, discrimination or retaliation.

 

Every chaplain must be able to serve with integrity, and every service member must be free to seek support without being subjected to a political or religious loyalty test.

 

The men and women who defend this country come from many faith traditions and from none. Their courage, sacrifice and commitment are not measured by whether they worship as Pete Hegseth does.

 

Their oath is to the Constitution. Their conscience belongs to them.