Archbishop Timothy Broglio, head of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, has warned that U.S. troops could refuse an order to attack Greenland on grounds of conscience. Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday program, he said Catholic service members “could be put in a situation where they’re being ordered to do something that’s morally questionable.” While acknowledging that it would be difficult to defy a direct order, he maintained that “within the realm of their own conscience it would be morally acceptable to disobey.”
Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, Archbishop of the Archdiocese for the U.S. Military Services, conducts religious services at the chapel at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Dec. 19, 2025. The service supported morale and spiritual readiness for deployed service members operating far from home. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Tucceri)
Broglio’s remarks follow inflammatory comments from President Donald Trump, who threatened to seize Greenland after being passed over for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. Trump told Norway’s prime minister that he would now “think about what is good and proper for the United States” and that the world is not secure unless America has complete control of the island. He insisted Denmark cannot defend the territory from Russia or China, drawing condemnation from European governments.
Broglio, whose archdiocese ministers to Catholic service members, condemned the idea outright. Greenland, he said, “is a territory of Denmark and Denmark is an ally,” so it “does not seem really reasonable that the United States would attack and occupy a friendly nation.” He recalled issuing a statement in December denouncing a U.S. strike on a suspected drug boat and insisting that the moral principle forbidding the intentional killing of noncombatants “is inviolable.” Any assault on Greenland, he warned, “doesn’t seem necessary, doesn’t seem acceptable” and would violate the “proper” moral way to respond to crises. Such rhetoric, he added, tarnishes America’s image abroad.
The president’s language marks a sharp break with diplomatic norms. He argued that the world is not secure unless America has total control of Greenland, even though the island belongs to NATO ally Denmark. European governments have denounced the threats as a potential armed occupation and an affront to Danish sovereignty.
Roman Catholic leaders in Rome share Broglio’s concerns. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, said “solutions by force cannot be employed” and warned that reliance on force “will always lead closer to a conflict.”
In Greenland, anxiety mixes with resolve. Fr Tomaž Majcen of Nuuk’s Church of Christ the King said locals regard the threat “with a mix of worry and quiet determination,” seeing it not as political debate but as a matter of “safety, dignity and peace.” Residents resent outsiders speaking of their home “as if it’s property on a market,” yet they remain confident in their right to decide their own future. Majcen urged Europeans to pray for the island and remember that Greenland is “not a chess piece but a people with culture, dignity, and future dreams.”
Broglio’s stance underscores the tension between political directives and personal conscience. Under U.S. military law, service members are required to refuse unlawful orders, and Catholic teaching forbids obeying immoral commands. His criticism of aggressive rhetoric echoes the Vatican’s call for multilateral solutions and Greenlanders’ plea for dignity and peace. As Trump vows to “think about what is good and proper for the United States” and seeks “total control” over Greenland, Church leaders insist the moral cost cannot be ignored.
Alan Mosley is a historian, jazz musician, policy researcher for the Tenth Amendment Center, and host of It’s Too Late, “The #1 Late Night Show in America (NOT hosted by a Communist)!” New episodes debut every Wednesday night at 9ET across all major platforms; just search “AlanMosleyTV” or “It’s Too Late with Alan Mosley.”
