God cannot be enlisted in darkness

Dear Editor,

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth believes that God is on the side of war.  Regarding Operation Epic Fury in Iran, he invoked Psalm 144, praying, "Blessed be the Lord, my Rock, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle."

Hegseth also boasted that U.S. attacks on Iran will have “no stupid rules of engagement," and that there will be “death and destruction from the sky all day long.”

Growing evidence indicates that the U.S. is likely responsible for an airstrike on an Iranian girls' school that killed 168 people, including more than 100 children. In 2025, the Trump administration discarded a Pentagon plan to prevent civilian casualties. 

Pope Leo XIV has affirmed that “God cannot be enlisted in darkness” and "War is not holy; only peace is holy because it is willed by God."  President Trump rejected Pope Leo's call for a ceasefire in Iran, responding, “You don’t do a ceasefire when you’re literally obliterating the other side.”

May we, as a nation, reflect on what we mean by Christian values.

Terry Hansen

Grafton, WI