Conciliar Sect’s Military Chaplaincy Betrays Catholic Tradition
The EWTN News portal (January 29, 2026) reports on Timothy Broglio’s remarks regarding U.S. military chaplaincy reforms under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The article presents Broglio’s approval of initiatives to refocus chaplains on spiritual ministry rather than “emotional support,” restoration of canceled chapel contracts, and discussion of just war principles. This superficial presentation conceals fundamental betrayals of Catholic ecclesiology and Christ’s kingship over nations.
“[Hegseth] definitely wants to return the chaplaincy to responsibility for religious services, religious instruction, and advising the commanders,”
This statement reveals the bankrupt ecclesiology of the conciliar sect. The military chaplaincy’s true crisis stems not from bureaucratic misdirection but from the systematic destruction of Catholic identity following Vatican II. When Pius XII’s Menti Nostrae (1950) defined the priest as “alter Christus” (another Christ) called to sanctify souls, it established an irreconcilable contradiction with Broglio’s reduced vision of chaplains as mere religious functionaries advising secular commanders.
Naturalism Masquerading as Spiritual Renewal
The article celebrates Hegseth’s elimination of “spiritual fitness guides” promoting secular humanism. Yet this “reform” constitutes merely a shift between competing naturalisms. True Catholic chaplaincy demands uncompromising allegiance to the Social Kingship of Christ as articulated in Pius XI’s Quas Primas: “When once men recognize, both in private and in public life, that Christ is King, society will at last receive the great blessings of real liberty, well-ordered discipline, peace and harmony.” Instead, Broglio reduces the priestly office to Washingtonian utilitarianism:
“He wanted them to meet the spiritual needs of the faithful and he wanted them to tell him the truth [in advising the command]”
This subordinates the eternal salvation of souls to military expediency – a complete inversion of Christ’s command to “render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21). The military-industrial complex becomes the implicit supreme good, with chaplains serving as crisis managers rather than heralds of the One True Faith.
Sacramental Desert in Uniform
The reported priest shortage (190 priests vs. 500 needed) exposes the conciliar sect’s sacramental bankruptcy. This crisis originates in Paul VI’s destruction of priestly formation through Optatam Totius, which replaced Thomistic theology with modernist anthropology. When Broglio promotes “Team Saint Paul” as solution – describing it as “Bible studies, meals, outings, invitations to come to Mass” – he confirms the conversion of Catholic life into Protestant-style social activism. Compare this to Pius X’s condemnation in Lamentabili (1907):
“The Church is incapable of effectively defending evangelical ethics, because it steadfastly adheres to its views, which cannot be reconciled with modern progress” (Proposition 63)
The military archdiocese’s contract battles over religious educators reveal deeper apostasy: By outsourcing catechesis to government-approved contractors rather than insisting on episcopal authority, the conciliar sect betrays Pius XI’s warning against state encroachment in Divini Illius Magistri (1929).
Just War Theory Gutted of Catholic Substance
Broglio’s just war exposition exemplifies the conciliar distortion of doctrine:
“Conflict must be a last resort, declared by a proper authority, for a just cause… proportional force”
Contrast this with the Syllabus of Errors (1864) which condemns the proposition that “Right consists in the material fact. All human duties are an empty word” (Proposition 59). By omitting the traditional requirement that war advance Christian civilization – as articulated in Leo XIII’s Immortale Dei (1885) – Broglio reduces morality to procedural calculation. His vague admission that soldiers might disobey “morally questionable” orders while calling such disobedience “untenable” reveals moral cowardice before secular power.
The True Chaplain’s Mandate
Authentic Catholic military chaplaincy exists not to serve Caesar’s legions but to advance Christ’s Kingdom. As St. Ignatius Martyr wrote while facing Roman execution: “Christianity shows its greatness when it is hated by the world.” The conciliar sect’s chaplains have become chaplains of empire rather than confessors of faith – a betrayal Pius XII condemned in Sacra Virginitas (1954) as “the error of those who assert that the primary purpose of marriage is the perfecting of the individual, and his personal happiness,” substituting personal fulfillment for divine glory.
Until commanders kneel before the Blessed Sacrament and nations submit to Christ the King (Psalm 2:10-12), no bureaucratic “reform” can restore authentic Catholic chaplaincy. The conciliar sect’s military ministry remains what Archbishop Lefebvre called “a tragic comedy of errors” – sacrificing eternal truths on the altar of temporal power.
Source:
Military Archbishop Broglio: Hegseth is helping restore chaplain mission to spiritual ministry (ewtnnews.com)
Date: 29.01.2026