Hegseth Holds Protestant-Only Religious Service at Pentagon

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: MEDIAite

Apr 3rd, 2026, 5:51 pm


According to a Friday report from HuffPost, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon held a Protestant-only Good Friday service at its in-house chapel, with no Catholic Mass scheduled for one of Christianity’s holiest days. The setup, which excludes a Catholic service for the first time, drew frustration from at least one Pentagon employee after an internal email made the arrangement explicit.

“Just a friendly reminder: There will be a Protestant Service (No Catholic Mass) for Good Friday today at the Pentagon Chapel,” read a Friday email sent by Air Force leadership, according to a copy shared with HuffPost’s Jennifer Bendery. “I guess so the Catholics know their kind ain’t welcome,” one employee said anonymously to HuffPost in response to the message. “It’s so ridiculous.”

A Pentagon spokesperson confirmed the chapel would host no separate Catholic service.“The Protestant service is the only service scheduled in the Pentagon chapel today,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

The Pentagon Memorial Chapel serves as a worship and reflection space for employees of all faiths and regularly hosts religious services. The decision not to hold a Catholic observance on Good Friday stands out given the makeup of the U.S. military, where roughly a quarter of service members identify as Catholic.

Read more: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/hegseth-holds-protestant-only-religious-service-at-pentagon/

---

Hope the 5 RW SCOTUS Catholics (1 former) are happy. And of all days.

[Lovie777]

1. RW Catholics must be angry....................

[wnylib]

2. Shady Vance, for example.

[area51]

30. And "Mischa" (Mike) Flynn. n/t

[Raven123]

6. It's their return on worshipping the orange god

[Deuxcents]

3. Guess I don't have to ask if Passover Seder was observed on Wednesday for our Jewish service members

[wnylib]

27. With Israel as an ally, it should perhaps have been considered.

[montanacowboy]

4. OMG

that is in response to the Pope's shitting all over dear leader

[oasis]

18. That's it, Sec.Hogshit gotta show the Pope there's

consequences if you diss his boss.

[Raven123]

5. Waiting to hear from the likes of Bishop Barren and Cardinal Dolan

[rpannier]

40. Likely won't hear much from Dolan since he's retired

The dingus from the Catholic League is another matter

[Baitball Blogger]

7. Why do I get the feeling Hegseth is going to be drowning in lawsuits when the world

returns to its proper axis?

[jls4561]

9. If he doesn't drown in a whiskey barrel first.

Or a butt of malmsey.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

8. Hegseth's pastor openly wants to ban Catholic processions and public worship.

That being said, Catholics don't celebrate Mass on Good Friday. It's not allowed.

[BarbD]

20. But don't they have a three hour service from noon to three?

I've been an ex-catholic for almost 60 years -- I'm now 88.

[drray23]

28. not a full mass. a lithurgical service.nt.

[RockRaven]

41. There are multiple Catholic services possible on Good Friday. The long midday one

you are referring to is likely either the Stations of the Cross or the Three Hours' Agony.

But there is a Mass-like liturgy service as well, which can be performed at several different times (morning, midday, evening, etc) depending on the parish. That is functionally a Mass (there are readings and prayers and Holy Communion) and would look so to anyone not steeped in Catholic doctrine and practice, but technically not a Mass since consecration of the Eucharist is omitted -- and that few minutes of the service is what defines a Mass. Instead sufficient surplus Eucharist has been consecrated on Thursday to last the parish through until Easter morning. Still, it is a Mass-like event with a congregation and a priest in a church, with reading and prayers and Communion, lasting a normal-ish Mass-time.

[rustbeltvoice]

10. Good Friday is the only day when there is no Mass.

From the end of Holy Thursday's Mass to Paschal Vigil Mass (Saturday night) there is no Mass, or it is said that the Thursday Mass does not end until the Easter Vigil Mass.

There can be a few different services on Friday, including the "Mass" of the pre-sanctified Hosts, but no actual Mass. But yeah, the crazy Protestants like Hegseth hates Catholics, moreso than atheists. And of course, this also is pettiness towards Pope Leo, and an insult to Catholics; but hey, that is part of the programme.

I see someone mentioned the present vice-president. His "Catholicism" is very suspect, and if it is a choice about being a repuke or a Christian, it will always be as a repuke rebuking Catholic Christianity.

[IronLionZion]

11. With Mideast in conflict, Pope Leo criticizes those who invoke God for war

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/04/03/pope-leo-god-war-trump-peace/

Sounds like a snub towards Catholic service members on Good Friday because of the Pope.

The last Pope met JD and decided to go straight to God to deal with this unspeakable evil plaguing the world.

[TygrBright]

12. That'll teach that "Pope" guy to say mean things about Petey Kegsbreath! n/t

[twodogsbarking]

13. Fuck him and the keg he rode in on.

[wolfie001]

14. The fucker should've required white hoods

POS

[littlemissmartypants]

15. Christian Nationalist. Not Protestant.

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35:03 Chapter 1. A Televangelist in the White House
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#matthewdtaylor #theviolenttakeitbyforcethechristianmovementthatisthreateningourdemocracy

[spudspud]

16. I will laugh my ass off if Trump doesn't grant them pardons before

he leaves (?) office.

[Skittles]

17. the military should not be promoting ANY delusional religious nonsense

keep that fucking crap in church

[whathehell]

33. While all forums on this board rightfully support

Separation of Church and State, that support doesn't, and in keeping with its own rules, shouldn't entail gratuitously insulting a particular faith or religion in general...Keep that fucking crap in the Atheists forum.

[Skittles]

34. you have your opinion, I have mine

religion does more to divide people than ANYTHING else on earth

[whathehell]

35. Lol. Simplistic much?

FUCK atheism

Are we 'even' now?

[Skittles]

37. LOL

I have NEVER claimed to be an ATHEIST

FUCK RELIGION

[whathehell]

38. Ok then..

FUCK RELIGION FUCKING!

[Skittles]

39. correction:

FUCK FUCKING RELIGION

over and OUT

[whathehell]

46. Correct yourself.

FUCK Religion FUCKING!!

NOW we're "over and out", dear

[OGBuzz]

19. O.K., then why not send just the Protestants to fight in Trump's and Hoghshit's war.

[BarbD]

21. Are we bringing back the Crusades of the middle ages?

[OGBuzz]

23. There are several branches within Christianity that emphasize....

Armageddon and End Times theology, Protestants and Evangelicals are among them. The same people that elected Trump. Hegseth has a giant Crusader cross tattooed on his chest, and 'Deus Vult', the Crusader battle cry, tattooed on his bicep.

[RockRaven]

22. The whole "Catholics don't do Mass on Good Friday" should be treated as disingenuous pedantry

if (IF!) it comes from someone trying to justify this move. The speaker's purpose matters when deciding how to respond to such a statement -- it could also be said by somebody being pedantic for the purpose of clarity in discussion, or by a well meaning person passing on what they have heard/read even though it is misleading and readily misused to ill purpose.

Unless you are well versed or deeply invested in Christian theology, the matter is one of those distinctions without a difference. Your little old lady neighbor who goes to 8AM Mass seven days a week is still going to her church on Good Friday morning. And if you went with her on that Good Friday morning, and you were not a practicing Catholic, you'd probably not spot that it wasn't technically a Mass.

It's like someone saying that I didn't cook dinner tonight because I prepared a Cobb salad.

[Jack Valentino]

24. They should hold an AA meeting instead... just for Pete

[msongs]

25. time for the military to get rid of chaplains/and chapels too. and blue angels/thunderdirds

and marching bands and choirs. if they're not killing they gotta go

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

26. Hegseth has turned the US military (most expensive organization on the planet) into his own church

[Deuxcents]

31. And if you don't worship his way, he'll fire you or discharge you

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

32. and his church only allows white male leadership... shaven slim white males

fat, bearded, female, non white, not protestant... this church aint for you.

[BumRushDaShow]

42. He would be looked at in disgust

by some evangelical for his vainglorious and sacrilegious use of tattoos. And I won't even get into what the no drinking, no dancing, no card-playing groups might think.

[AZLD4Candidate]

29. Catholics aren't welcome? Neither are Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, or any other non Christian religion

Wednesday was the start of Passover (which was the Last Supper Jesus ate) and I doubt he noticed, knew, or cared.

Why not just adopt the colony of Maryland's law that anyone that didn't worship Jesus was guilty of treason and could be executed, but also add a rider saying that if the leader of a religion that worships Jesus is in another country, they get sentenced to life at hard labor until they see the error of their ways?

Wait. . .didn't that already happen once someplace between 1932-1945?

[BlueWavePsych]

43. Lesson to wannabee MAGAts. If you are not a WASP, you are not one of "us".

[RedWhiteBlueIsRacist]

36. Penta-gone fundie.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

44. Pentagon To Host Good Friday Service Just For Protestants, Not Catholics

Hegseth like all true KKK members is also anti-Catholic

Many people don't realize that the second iteration of the Ku Klux Klan (in the 1920s) was more anti-Catholic than anti-Black.

So this tracks.

— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@mrsbettybowers.bsky.social) 2026-04-03T18:30:15.660Z

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/news-live-updates_n_69ca6616e4b0128a9ef83bad/liveblog_69cfef6ce4b0d214cc7139b5

The Pentagon has invited more than 3,500 employees to attend a Good Friday service at its in-house chapel. Except it’s only for Protestants, not Catholics.

“Just a friendly reminder: There will be a Protestant Service (No Catholic Mass) for Good Friday today at the Pentagon Chapel,” reads a Friday email sent by Air Force leadership, a copy of which was shared by an employee.

“I guess so the Catholics know their kind ain’t welcome,” said this employee, who requested anonymity to speak about internal communications. “It’s so ridiculous.”

A Pentagon spokesperson confirmed it is not hosting another, separate religious service for Catholic employees.

“The Protestant service is the only service scheduled in the Pentagon chapel today,” they said in a statement....

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a far-right evangelical Christian, has tried to infuse his religious views into Pentagon activities.

[thought crime]

45. Catholics take note. You're not welcome.

Vote accordingly.

[Martin68]

47. This is great news because it so flagrantly unconstitutional in the first place, and it will piss off conservative

Catholics. Hegseth has them the military on the Highway to Hell!