by Marcus Howley ’28 on April 16, 2026

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Opinion - News & Politics

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Separation of church and state has long been one of the most noble features of our American political system. It has allowed the United States to continue to present itself as a nation that is welcome and open to people of all faiths and creeds, even though the nation has a long history of religious discrimination. The War in Iran and previous wars in the Middle East, dating back to leaders such as former President Ronald Reagan, have stirred up an almost crusader-like fervor among some. This all stems back to the very simple fact that the U.S. is a predominantly Protestant-Christian nation that finds itself in conflict with the Muslim nations of the Middle East. This fact makes it easy for some to frame the conflicts as a religious battle between Christianity, and often Judaism, against Islam.  

The newly coined Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, views himself as a crusader. In fact, he wrote a whole book about it in which he describes Islamism as an enemy to America and as a false religion. His body serves as a canvas for his crusading bravado. The tattoos Hegseth has include the Bible verse Mathew 10:34, which states, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” The exact kind of slogan you want the head of the most powerful military on Earth to live by. He also has a tattoo in Arabic that roughly translates to “infidel” or “disbeliever in Allah.” This tattoo is an ironic statement given his other tattoos and a clear attack on the faith of Muslims. The most prominent of all his tattoos is a large Jerusalem Cross on his chest—a symbol popularly associated with the Crusades. 

It seems that in his mind Hegseth views himself as a champion bringing upon God’s wrath to infidels and non-believers of the world. In a recent prayer service, Hegseth prayed concerningly for “overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.”  He finished his prayer with, “We ask these things with bold confidence in the mighty and powerful name of Jesus Christ.” The remarks immediately sounded alarm bells in many across the secular and religious world. Pope Leo XIV called out these remarks during a Palm Sunday Homily saying, “God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war … He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: ‘Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood.’” The Pontiff’s remarks stand in stark contrast to Hegseth’s prayer for holy destruction of his enemies, drawing a clear line in the sand between the militarism of the Trump administration and the Catholic Church, a line that the administration has already forced itself across. 

Some may retort that the administration has yet to explicitly describe the war as a holy war against the Islamists of Iran. To that, my response is that the Trump Administration is not stupid, they know what they are doing. A substantial portion of the Make America Great Again movement comes from the conservative Christian crowd, many of whom are also Christian Zionists, a group that believes the modern state of Israel is the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. This group views the wars between Israel and its Muslim neighbors like Palestine and Iran in a religious context. To them, standing against the Israeli war machine is to stand against God. The Trump Administration knows that this group will see the religious rhetoric of Hegseth and other government officials and throw their support behind an alleged Christian war.  

This rise in religious war rhetoric has been brewing in this country since 9/11 and the War on Terror that followed. Conservatives of the Bush Administration did not shy away from personifying the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as holy wars against Islam. The rise of the Christian nationalist movement and Israel’s framing of its genocidal war in Palestine and other wars in places like Lebanon as religious conflicts has only furthered the prevalence of religious militarism.  

The War in Iran is the ultimate fulfillment of the Christian nationalist ideal, a holy war against who they perceive as the ultimate enemy, the unbelieving Muslims of the world. With many Christian nationalists like Hegseth in positions of power in the government, this narrative will only become increasingly popular as time goes on. Soon, we will see the rise of a Christianity where the most popular places for a cross are atop a church and on a bomb hurdling down towards it. 

by Greg Scimeca ’26  on February 27, 2026

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Letters to the Editor

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Dear Editors of The Cowl,  

This year’s Valentine’s publication featured a large page on the back side of the Portfolio Section of two gay men having an intimate moment. From what I am told, this was taken from the “largest pop culture reference to love,” which is from the show Heated Rivalry, a highly explicit homosexual TV show. I write this as someone who cherishes the Catholic Faith, and the values we hold at Providence College, namely truth and human dignity. First, I would like to speak to how strongly I believe in freedom of speech and of the press. For 250 years, our country has uniquely cherished freedom of speech. It is such a privilege to be able to use our voices to express counter-cultural media, content that is overlooked and even reviled by the majority. I also think that students should share their opinions, even if they happen to oppose Catholic teaching. Additionally, I would like to highlight PCs Catholic tradition. Rather than attempt to explain Catholic morality, I would like to simply say that the Church is not okay with same-sex relations. This is not to the exclusion of love. Instead, as St. Augustine teaches, we must love the person and hate the sin. Whether the editors intended to or not, this back cover page misrepresents the Catholic view of love. The article with the image was published on Valentine’s Day, a day that society perceives as a day to observe romantic love. At a Catholic school, this should be a day reserved for admiring the complementarity of the sexes as is discussed in Genesis and offering a perspective of virtue. 

Writing this on Feb. 24, I was struck by Christ’s teaching in the daily Gospel readings. He teaches to avoid praying like the pagans, saying, “Do not be like them.” This quote encapsulates what I would like to encourage by writing this letter. As a Catholic school, we should of course model Christ’s message in everything we do, from our speech, to our writing, and even to our policies. Thus, we should “not be like” modern society, which has become increasingly pagan. Hence, it would be an incorrect approach for our newspaper to portray simply whatever is popular at the time. Let me offer a few counterpoints. First, this article is not an Opinion piece. On the contrary, it takes up the entire center insert page of the Portfolio Section, as much as the five student articles on the opposite side. In my belief, this prominence of selection represents the student-body views as a whole. However, many students whom I have talked with feel as though this does not represent their deeply held Catholic beliefs, and has no business being published in a Catholic school’s newspaper. 

I want to offer a better, counter-cultural answer to this dilemma. Christ’s ministry, from its outset, was counter-cultural, fighting against the Pharisees, who set all the standards. He welcomed the outcasts, the scorned, and the unwanted. He rebuked sin of every kind, such as driving out the irreverent merchants in the temple. Most radically, he taught a harsh, violent world to turn the other cheek. By publishing this image, The Cowl, the student newspaper, becomes a spokesperson for the culture of sin which Christ came to annihilate.  

Here at Providence College, we should welcome everyone. But we should never welcome sin. 

Sincerely, 

Greg Scimeca ’26 

by Shannon Kelly ’26 on October 9, 2025

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News

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A Speech from Pope Leo 

On Wednesday, Oct. 1, Pope Leo XIV spoke at a conference centered on climate change in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. This was his first speech on the environment since becoming pope in May. In light of celebrating ten years of Laudato si’, an encyclical written by Pope Francis which focuses on the importance of caring for our common home, Pope Leo XIV centered his call around the need for global action to protect the world as we know it. As explained by Pope Leo XIV, “the challenges identified in Laudato si’ are in fact even more relevant today than they were 10 years ago.” 

Pope Leo XIV put pressure on the people to call on their respective governments to take action and involve themselves in addressing one of the world’s most pressing issues—climate change. He emphasized the fact that “We cannot love God, whom we cannot see, while despising his creatures.” Pope Leo XIV also spoke to the connection that is often formed between environmental degradation and poverty. He continually emphasized the bond that remains between having a concern for nature, seeking justice for the poor, remaining committed to society, and desiring interior peace. He stated that striving for the common good should always be at the forefront of all that we do, while sticking to the fact that there is no room for indifference or resignation in conversations centered on climate change. 

Pope Leo XIV acknowledged the need for upcoming international conferences, such as the 2025 Climate Change Conference, the 53rd Plenary Session of the Committee on World Food Security, and the 2026 Water Conference, to listen to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor, families, indigenous peoples, involuntary migrants, and believers all over the world. The Pope reminds us that we are all one family, who depend on one another and whose actions reap consequences both in the present day and in the future. Pope Leo XIV preached the need for unity in his own words: “We inhabit the same planet, and we must care for it together.”

Pope Leo XIV has recently spoken in regards to the political climate in the United States at this current moment. He weighed in on the dichotomy of those who say they are pro-life, but agree with the inhumane treatment of immigrants in the U.S., stating that he does not know if that is truly pro-life. Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich highlighted the divisions that exist in the U.S., saying that Catholics have been left “politically homeless.” In Pope Leo XIV’s final remarks, he concluded with a question regarding each and every one of us as people. After acknowledging that God asks us to cultivate and care for the world that he created, which we all are called to do as believers, we must reckon with taking true care of our brothers and sisters. Will we cultivate the earth, care for the environment, and support our loved ones for the benefit of future generations, or in the words of the Pope, “what will be our answer?”

by David Salzillo Jr. '24 on February 16, 2023
Opinion Staff

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Opinion

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The rise and fall of your cryptocurrency empire/Ponzi scheme (sorry, but the truth is the truth) has raised many questions about the model of “effective altruism” you embraced. As for me, I can only think, “If only you had listened to the Church Fathers.”

“Effective altruism,” as advocated for by philosophers like your mentor William MacAskill, proposes “using evidence and reason to figure out how to benefit others as much as possible,” In other words, satisfy your greed, make your fortune, and then give the poor the crumbs that fall from your table. I understand that MacAskill had good intentions and that you may have been a true believer. But either way, effective altruism is nothing more than a cover for greed, covetousness, and injustice.  

Those in the early Church would have understood this well. As disciples of St. Basil the Great put it, “Acts of charity from unjust gains are not acceptable to God.” They remind us of the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Cease to do evil, and learn to do good,” (Isaiah 1:16-17). Really, the prophet tells us to “cease to do evil, and then learn to do good.” You are not doing good if you are not ceasing to do evil. If you are defrauding your customers and then passing off your plunder as charity, then you are not bettering the world with evidence and reason. At best, your offerings towards social justice are a net zero; the world would have been none the poorer if you became a barista at Starbucks. Your pseudo-Enlightenment project only forced the world to place another person in jail.  

Therefore, the Church Fathers challenge us to “possess with justice and dispense with mercy,” (On Mercy and Justice). To possess justice, “the rich should carefully consider their means from which they intend to make offerings, in order to make certain that they have not wielded power over the poor, or used force against the weak, or committed extortion against those in a subordinate position,” (On Mercy and Justice). I challenge you to do the same. I am sure you have heard the saying, “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” Good intentions do not stop the cycles of poverty, greed, and exploitation; right actions do. Always “beware of practicing your piety [or, in this case, your charity] before others,” (Matthew 6:1). A small gift unstained by injustice is better than a massive monument to folly.