As Donald Trump’s war with Iran grows more volatile by the day, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s bloodthirst and proselytizing risks spinning the conflagration further out of control.

In a war with no clear purpose, Hegseth has celebrated unleashing “death and destruction from the sky all day long.” He also has dismissed international rules of engagement and instead called for “Maximum lethality, not tepid legality” and “Violent effect, not politically correct.”

Hegseth has essentially green-lighted committing war crimes by claiming “no quarter, no mercy” for our enemies, which violates international law and the 1966 War Crimes Act.

Then again, Trump also has threatened war crimes in social media posts that warn of plans to bomb Iran’s civilian infrastructure, including electric plants, oil wells, and desalination plants — moves that would unleash a widespread humanitarian crisis.

Just as troubling is how Hegseth has invoked religious rhetoric to justify the deadly attacks. During an evangelical worship at the Pentagon last week, Hegseth prayed for violence against enemies “who deserve no mercy.”

Pope Leo XIV offered a timely religious lesson during a Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square, explaining that God ignores the prayers of leaders who wage war and have “hands full of blood.”

The pope called the war “atrocious,” adding that Jesus could not be used to justify war.

“This is our God: Jesus, king of peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” he told worshippers during his homily. “He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war but rejects them.”

In these dark times, it is welcome to see the leader of the Roman Catholic Church assert some much-needed moral authority.

Hegseth’s combative Christianity violates the long-standing principle that separates church and state. At the very least, it risks inciting a holy war and inspiring more terrorists.

Hegseth is one of the growing dangers Trump has created — and another figure from the administration whom the Republicans in Congress have allowed to run rampant.

Trump’s cabinet is stocked with bootlickers and grifters who aid and abet his lawlessness and incompetence. But perhaps no one is more dangerous than Hegseth, the former Fox weekend TV host turned defense secretary.

It was clear from the start that Hegseth — who faced accusations of sexual misconduct, excessive drinking, and financial mismanagement — was the least qualified person ever nominated to oversee the United States military.

But Hegseth was confirmed, thanks to a crucial vote cast by U.S. Sen Dave McCormick, R.-Pa.

With each day, Hegseth has demonstrated his toxic brand of leadership.

He scrubbed diversity from the ranks, banned transgender troops, and questioned whether women can serve in combat roles. Last week, Hegseth removed two Black men and two women from a list of Army officers designated for promotion to one-star generals.

Similar to other authoritarian regimes, Hegseth has tried to restrict Pentagon reporters’ ability to gather information and inform the public about military actions by replacing independent reporters with pro-Trump media representatives.

A federal judge found the draconian rules violated the First and Fifth Amendment rights to free speech and due process.

“Those who drafted the First Amendment believed that the nation’s security requires a free press and an informed people and that such security is endangered by governmental suppression of political speech,” U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman wrote. “That principle has preserved the nation’s security for almost 250 years. It must not be abandoned now.”

But Hegseth has essentially ignored the judge’s ruling.

The United States is in a dangerous place with dangerous people in charge. Court orders are being ignored, civil rights stripped away, and average Americans have been harmed in dozens of ways.

Millions of citizens know it and are rightly outraged, as seen by the “No Kings” marches across the country on Saturday. Let’s hope millions more remember to march to the polls in November and vote out Trump’s enablers.

Trump believes he is on a mission from God and answerable only to his own morality.

Voters should beware of false prophets and unqualified defense secretaries sporting Christian nationalist tattoos and invoking religion to justify killing.

©2026 The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC. Visit at inquirer.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.