On March 25, 2026, while an active US war was underway in Iran with 13 Americans killed and the Strait of Hormuz closed, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gathered civilian employees and uniformed military personnel at the Pentagon for his monthly Christian worship service. He noted it was "even more fitting this month" given the troops in harm's way in the Middle East. He then prayed — livestreamed — for God to deliver "overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy" and for "every round to find its mark against the enemies of righteousness." He closed the prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. The entire US military is not Christian. None of that appeared to concern him.
"Almighty God, who trains our hands for war and our fingers for battle... Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation. Give them wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy. Preserve their lives, sharpen their resolve, and let justice be executed swiftly and without remorse that evil may be driven back and wicked souls delivered to the eternal damnation prepared for them... We ask these things with bold confidence in the mighty and powerful name of Jesus Christ, King over all kings. Amen." — Pete Hegseth, Pentagon worship service, March 25, 2026.
He Said “No Mercy.” That Has a Legal Meaning.
NPR's military correspondent noted that Hegseth has also used the phrase "no quarter" in public remarks about the Iran war. Both phrases have specific legal meanings under the laws of armed conflict. Refusing to give quarter — refusing to accept the surrender of an enemy — is a war crime under the Geneva Conventions. Legal experts and military journalists have flagged this repeatedly. Hegseth has continued using the language anyway. At a Christian worship service. At the Pentagon. During an active war.
Where the Prayer Came From.
Hegseth said the prayer was originally delivered by a US military chaplain to troops before the January 2026 raid on Venezuela in which US forces seized President Nicolás Maduro. He framed it as proven: a prayer that had blessed one successful operation and could now be applied to Iran. He read passages from Psalm 18 — "I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed. I thrust them through so that they were not able to rise. They fell under my feet" — alongside Psalm 144 and other verses, woven together into a single prayer for carnage in God's name.
The man running the US military held a Christian worship service at the Pentagon during an active war and asked God to deliver "overwhelming violence" against people "who deserve no mercy." In the name of Jesus Christ. This is who has the nuclear codes adjacent.
The Lawsuit. The Pope. The Context.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed a lawsuit over Hegseth's monthly Pentagon worship services, seeking internal communications about their cost, guests, and any employee complaints. The organization said Hegseth is "abusing the power of his government position and taxpayer-funded resources to impose his preferred religion on federal workers." The US military is not entirely Christian — roughly 30% of service members do not identify as Christian, including Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, and nonreligious troops who are also fighting in this war.
Pope Leo XIV, in his Palm Sunday Mass, addressed the Iran war directly: "This is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war. He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them." The contrast between the head of the world's largest Christian denomination and the US Secretary of Defense's approach to Christian prayer could not be more stark. Hegseth belongs to the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, a conservative network co-founded by self-described Christian nationalist Doug Wilson, whose pastors have appeared at Pentagon worship services at least three times.
This Is Not Incidental. This Is the Project.
Hegseth declared the US a "Christian nation" at the National Prayer Breakfast and said a soldier "finds eternal life" by dying for the country — a claim Christian theologians have described as heresy. He has publicly defended the medieval Crusades — wars pitting Christians against Muslims — as something to be admired. He has written a book called "American Crusade." He is now running a war against a Muslim-majority nation while hosting sectarian worship services at the Pentagon asking God to destroy those who "deserve no mercy." The religious framing of this war, as Iran's own leadership has noted, serves their propaganda more than it serves US military objectives. Hegseth apparently does not care about that either.
Sources
- Military Times: Full account of the March 25 Pentagon worship service and prayer text.
- PBS NewsHour / AP: Americans United for Separation of Church and State lawsuit filed; Hegseth belongs to Christian nationalist denomination co-founded by Doug Wilson.
- NPR: "No mercy" and "no quarter" have specific legal meanings under the laws of armed conflict; refusing quarter is a war crime under the Geneva Conventions.
- The Nation: Pope Leo XIV's Palm Sunday statement that God "does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war." The contrast with Hegseth's prayer could not be greater.