Hegseth Fires Top Army Chaplain During Holy Week -- No Explanation Given

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired the Army's top chaplain during Holy Week, offering no public explanation for removing a decorated officer in the middle of a war.

Maj. Gen. William Green Jr., the third Black American to serve as chief of chaplains for the Army, was formally removed from his position on April 2 -- three days before Easter Sunday. Green had been appointed to the role in December 2023 and was expected to serve a four-year statutory term.

The Defense Department confirmed Green's removal to EWTN News but declined to provide a reason. Green has not publicly commented.

"Unprecedented" Removal During Wartime

The Rev. Razz Waff, executive director of the Military Chaplains Association, called the move "unprecedented," noting that chiefs of chaplains are appointed to "four-year statutory, written-in-law terms."

"Really, there should be a for-cause reason, and in this case there is no for-cause reason," Waff told EWTN News. He added that Green "was doing an absolutely great job."

Waff warned that "changing senior leaders is always a little risky" during active military operations. The removal comes more than a month into the Trump administration's military attacks on Iran, raising questions about leadership stability during an escalating conflict.

Green was removed alongside Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and Army Transformation and Training Command Commanding Gen. David M. Hodne -- part of Hegseth's broader purge of senior military officials. Over the past 14 months, Hegseth has removed more than a dozen military leaders.

Chaplaincy "Reform" or Political Purge?

It remains unclear whether Green's firing is connected to Iran policy, Hegseth's stated mission to "reform" the military chaplaincy, or something else entirely.

In mid-2025, under the Biden administration, Green introduced "The Army Spiritual Fitness Guide" -- a resource Hegseth scrapped in December, claiming it promoted "secular humanism" and only referenced God once. At the time, Hegseth declared: "Our chaplains are chaplains, not emotional support officers, and we're going to treat them as such."

Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services praised Hegseth's decision to kill the guide, saying the defense secretary "definitely wants to return the chaplaincy to responsibility for religious services, religious instruction, and advising the commanders."

But the timing of Green's removal -- during Holy Week, amid war, with no stated cause -- suggests something beyond policy disagreements.

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Delaware, condemned the firing in a post on X, calling Green "a decorated leader who tended to our military's spiritual health with honor and distinction."

"This purge of senior military leaders should alarm every American," Coons wrote. "With no clear path to ending the war in Iran, experience and trusted leadership matter more than ever. Instead, Trump and Hegseth are pushing out senior officers for seemingly no valid reason."

Pentagon Skips Catholic Good Friday Service

Adding to the controversy, the Pentagon did not hold a Catholic Good Friday service this year, despite routinely offering Catholic Masses to employees.

A Pentagon official told EWTN News that the chaplain office's priest was out of town on Good Friday, so no service was scheduled. The official emphasized that "Catholic Masses are held on a daily basis in the Pentagon" and that weekly services are offered for several major religions.

The Catholic Military Apostolate of the United States called the absence of a Good Friday service "disappointing" if it resulted from a failure to make alternative arrangements. The group noted that such gaps highlight "precisely why the work of lay apostolates such as CMA-US is so essential."

Archbishop Broglio said in January that the Archdiocese for the Military Services is facing a severe priest shortage, with about 190 priests serving when "we should probably have about 500 to actually meet the needs."

The combination of Green's unexplained removal, the Pentagon's skipped Good Friday service, and Hegseth's ongoing leadership purge raises questions about whether "chaplaincy reform" is cover for political retaliation -- and whether the Trump administration is prioritizing loyalty over military readiness during wartime.