Scripture and War: A Battle Over Context

As the Trump administration and Pope Leo XIV clashed openly over the Iran war, social media was flooded with claims that both the Pentagon chief and the pontiff had cited fake Bible verses. Fact-checkers found that both claims were either false or stripped of critical context.

Hegseth's Pentagon Prayer

On April 15, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth led a prayer service at the Pentagon, reading aloud a prayer he said was recited during the combat search and rescue (CSAR) mission for a downed U.S. fighter jet pilot in Iran. He called it 'CSAR 25:17,' explicitly noting it was meant to reflect the real Bible verse Ezekiel 25:17.

The following day, a post from liberal group 'The Other 98%' claimed Hegseth used the 'fake Bible verse from Pulp Fiction' — a reference to Samuel L. Jackson's character Jules, who recites a passage he attributes to Ezekiel 25:17 in the 1994 film. The claim spread widely on X, with side-by-side videos of Hegseth and the movie scene.

However, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell clarified on X that the prayer was inspired by the Pulp Fiction dialogue and that both the prayer and the film dialogue were themselves reflections of Ezekiel 25:17 — a genuine scripture. Hegseth never claimed to quote the Bible directly; he framed it as a prayer. The actual Ezekiel 25:17 reads: 'And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.'

Pope Leo's Cameroon Speech

On April 16, Pope Leo XIV spoke in Bamenda, Cameroon, calling for peace and opposing the Iran war. An X post claimed the pope cited a nonexistent Bible passage when he said: 'Jesus told us: Blessed are the peacemakers! But woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic or political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth.' Critics argued only the first line matched Matthew 5:9.

But the official transcript published on the Holy See's website confirmed the speech drew from Matthew 5:3–14, the Beatitudes. Leo cited some passages verbatim and paraphrased others — a standard practice in papal pastoral addresses that blends direct scripture with personal meditation. The 'fake verse' claim ignored this established homiletic tradition.

The Deeper Issue: Religion as Political Weapon

The dual controversy reveals how religious language is being weaponized in the political battle over the Iran war. Hegseth used scripture to justify military action, claiming God's favor; Leo invoked the same tradition to demand peace. With both sides drawing from the same text, the real story is less about misquotation and more about who controls the meaning of sacred language.

Both 'fake Bible verse' claims were debunked. Yet their viral spread shows how quickly decontextualized content can distort public understanding when religion and politics collide.