Hegseth Holds Protestant-Only Religious Service at Pentagon [View all]

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/