Chaplains do not make policy. That should be obvious. And yet here we are.
Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services spoke in a Jan. 18 interview with the BBC about the morality of a possible U.S. military operation to take Greenland.
BBC Presenter Edward Stourton mentioned in the interview that Trump, speaking about his foreign policy, recently told The New York Times that he doesn’t need international law and that he has his “own morality,” as a constraint to his power.
Commenting on this “own morality” quote, Archbishop Broglio said, “I must say I’m a little bit concerned because, I mean, we do have international law, and we do have obviously moral principles that should guide all of us, and perhaps some of the rhetoric is more concerning than some of the actions, although even some of the actions have left room for concern, I believe.”
Stourton later asked whether Archbishop Broglio could “conceive of any circumstances in which an American military operation to take Greenland fulfill the criteria of a just war.”
Archbishop Broglio replied, “I cannot see any circumstances that it would. Greenland is a territory of Denmark — Denmark is an ally, it’s part of NATO, it does not seem really reasonable that we would, that the United States would attack and occupy a friendly nation.”
Stourton asked Archbishop Broglio about his reaction to the White House’s statement that it has not ruled out military force and that the administration employs rhetoric that “clearly seems designed to intimidate.”
Archbishop Broglio answered, “I think it tarnishes the image of the United States in our world, because traditionally, we’ve responded to situations of oppression, or situations of – that’s not to say those weren’t sometimes in national interest, but this is certainly very difficult to justify.”
The archbishop, who recently concluded a three-year term as president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, also commented on soldiers’ conscience rights.
Stourton reflected on how difficult it would be to be a soldier who refuses to comply with an order involving a military operation in Greenland and asked about the archbishop’s perspective on that situation.
“I am obviously worried because they could be put in a situation where they’re being ordered to do something which is morally questionable,” Archbishop Broglio said, “and, it would be very difficult for a soldier or marine or a sailor to, by himself, to disobey an order such as that, but strictly speaking, he or she would be within the realm of their own conscience, it would be morally acceptable to disobey that order, but that’s perhaps putting that individual in an untenable situation, and that’s my concern.”
None of these are appropriate topics of public conjecture for a chaplain or anyone who is providing pastoral care to troops or overseeing those who do. It’s one thing for Archbishop Broglio to discuss his views on foreign policy and the president privately, it’s highly inappropriate for him to start discoursing on these matters (and what is even the basis for his presumed expertise) let alone to suggest that soldiers should feel empowered to disobey orders from the commander in chief.
Asked if he was “laying out red lines” for the Trump administration, the archbishop said he does not know whether “the powers that be” are open to listening to admonitions from Catholic leaders, but said he believes it is his duty to speak up.
That’s the opposite of what his duty is.
This is not a Pope Francis or Pope Leo appointment. Archbishop Broglio was appointed by Pope Benedict and generally presented a socially conservative image. But then he seems to have followed Pope Leo’s lead in defending illegal aliens.
Considering Pope Leo’s message, no one can turn a deaf ear to the palpable cries of anxiety and fear heard in communities throughout the country in the wake of a surge in immigration enforcement actions.
The chronic lack of opportunities for legal status for our immigrant brothers and sisters, together with the growing denial of due process to them, is injurious to human dignity and is a considerable factor in the breakdown of the rule of law. Likewise, unfounded accusations against Catholic service providers, who every day endeavor to provide critical support and care to the most vulnerable, contribute to societal tensions and a growing climate of fear.
Law enforcement actions aimed at preserving order and ensuring community security are necessary for the common good. However, the current efforts go well beyond those with criminal histories. In the context of a gravely deficient immigration system, the mass arrest and removal of our neighbors, friends and family members on the basis of immigration status alone, particularly in ways that are arbitrary or without due process, represent a profound social crisis before which no person of good will can remain silent.
But his rhetoric now is a dangerous escalation that enters a very dangerous territory.
