The Catholic Archbishop for the U.S. Military Timothy P. Broglio said on Jan. 18 that it “would be morally acceptable” for troops to disobey orders that go against their conscience as the Trump Administration ramps up its military actions and threats. “It would be very difficult for a soldier or a marine or a sailor to by himself disobey an order,” he told the BBC program “Sunday”. “But strictly speaking, he or she would be, within the realm of their own conscience, it would be morally acceptable to disobey that order, but that’s perhaps putting that individual in an untenable situation, and that’s my concern.”
When BBC asked were he “worried” about the troops in the archdiocese he oversees, Broglio responded: “I am obviously worried because they could be put in a situation where they’re being ordered to do something which is morally questionable.”
Broglio’s comments on “morally acceptable” orders came as part of his response to BBC host Edward Stourton, who asked him if a U.S. assault on Greenland would meet “just war” criteria.