US Archbishop condemns Trump's deadly attacks on small boats

Archbishop Timothy P Broglio

Source: USCCB

The Most Reverend Timothy P Broglio, JCD, archbishop for the Military Services, USA, and former president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, has condemned the Trump administration's ongoing attacks on alleged drug traffickers on boats, that it claims come from Venezuela.

Archbishop Brogio said on Wednesday: "I call on our Nation's leaders, legislators, and those specifically charged to direct our Armed Forces to respect the consciences of those who raise their right hands to defend and protect the Constitution by not asking them to engage in immoral actions," Archbishop Broglio said in his statement. "Show the world our respect for human dignity and the rule of law."

The full statement follows:

Archbishop Timothy P Broglio, JCD
Statement on Caribbean Interceptions

December 3, 2025

Everyone shares the concern about drug trafficking and the use of illegal narcotics in our country. Addressing this issue requires coordinated efforts from all sectors of society, including prevention and education, especially for young people, drug-free schools,
accessible treatment and harm reduction, better international cooperation, and evidence- based drug-policy reform. If there is no market, the profits of cartels and those who support them will collapse, and with them, the incentive to smuggle drugs into this country.

No one denies that dismantling the powerful criminal networks responsible for the flow of illegal substances into our Nation is a necessary and laudable task. To be sure, the illegal drug trade is not merely a criminal enterprise; it is a complex global problem with tragic human, socio-economic, and environmental consequences. We have all witnessed its far- reaching and damaging impact, creating cycles of human suffering and public health crises, violence, poverty, and instability; including the dramatically increased global overdose mortality resulting from the illicit production and use of synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl.

Questions have been raised about the use of military force in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean and, as a Nation, we must ensure that the use of military force is ethical and legal. I have a specific interest in this question, because from the beginning, George Washington wanted chaplains with his troops to tell him the truth.

In the fight against drugs, the end never justifies the means, which must be moral, in accord with the principles of the just war theory, and always respectful of the dignity of each human person. No one can ever be ordered to commit an immoral act, and even those suspected of committing a crime are entitled to due process under the law. As the moral principle forbidding the intentional killing of noncombatants is inviolable, it would be an illegal and immoral order to kill deliberately survivors on a vessel who pose no immediate lethal threat to our armed forces.

We do not know if every sailor on a vessel presumed to be carrying illegal drugs knows the nature of the cargo. We do know that there is a legal way to intercept a suspicious vessel, board it, and have members of the Coast Guard on hand who have the authority to make arrests. Then, the courts function in determining the guilty and the appropriate punishment. Due process must apply to everyone, regardless of his or her role in illegal activity. The rule of law must guide all actions; abandoning due process undermines human

rights, erodes public trust, and risks harming innocent people. True justice is achieved through transparent legal procedures, accountability, and respect for life-not through violence outside the law.

Our Nation has a long tradition of responding to injustice, liberating the oppressed, and leading the free world. We cannot tarnish that reputation with questionable actions that fail to respect the dignity of the human person and the rule of law. Efforts to end the drug trade and their illicit use must never exclude employing the rule of law. To be the best, we must give example and do what is right. When we allow the moral law to guide our actions, we not only protect the innocent, we protect our men and women in uniform. These principles have nothing to do with partisan politics, right, left, or centre.

I call on our Nation's leaders, legislators, and those specifically charged to direct our Armed Forces to respect the consciences of those who raise their right hands to defend and protect the Constitution by not asking them to engage in immoral actions. Show the world our respect for human dignity and the rule of law.