Preacher invited to Pentagon by Hegseth says US should ban ‘idolatrous’ Marian, Eucharistic processions

(LifeSiteNews) — In a viral clip, Doug Wilson, an Idaho preacher and “Christian nationalist,” who was previously invited to the Pentagon by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to lead a worship service, said that, ideally, Catholics should be banned from having Marian and Eucharistic processions, calling them acts of “idolatry.”

Wilson, the co-founder of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC), who frequently preaches on “Christian nationalism,” emphasized during an interview that in an ideal America, Catholics would be allowed to keep their churches and ring their church bells. However, they would not be permitted to hold public Marian processions, and they would likely not be allowed to hold public Eucharistic processions, because, according to Wilson, these would constitute public acts of “idolatry,” even comparing them to Hindu processions.

Hegseth has notably invited Wilson to lead a February worship service at the Pentagon, and he attends a CREC church.

“We are a Christian nation, so church bells are okay, but a Muslim call to prayer in the public space would not be okay,” Wilson said in the clip. “Catholic church bells would be okay, but a parade in honor of the Virgin Mary, carrying an image of the Virgin Mary down Main Street, no!”

Secretary Pete Hegseth Pastor who was Invited to Pray at Pentagon Says Publicly Eucharist and Marian Procession Should NOT be Permitted in Public. See more here: https://t.co/5fpjjd1ff8 pic.twitter.com/iKJg1bPCuI

— John-Henry Westen (@JhWesten) March 13, 2026

When the host interjected to ask Wilson if Eucharistic processions would be allowed, Wilson said it would depend on how they are conducted, but probably not, adding that all “public displays of idolatry” as defined by the Protestant foundation of the law would be banned from the public square, erroneously comparing them to pagan Hindu processions.

“Basically, public displays of idolatry, what the Protestant foundation of the law would consider to be idolatry, would not be allowed,” he said. “So you wouldn’t have a Hindu procession with a Hindu god, you wouldn’t have a procession of the Virgin Mary.”

Several prominent Catholic thinkers responded to the clip on X. Joshua Charles, a Catholic writer and podcast host, citing St. Robert Bellarmine, underscored that the idea that a Eucharistic procession is idolatry is a “fundamentally antichristic stance.”

I’m thankful that some protestant brethren assert and defend some important truths.

But as I have often said, we are different religions. I do not partner too closely, because at the end of the day, full loyalty to Christ and His Church will come into conflict with the tenets of… https://t.co/tY9Wlx0VBj

— Joshua Charles🇻🇦 (@JoshuaTCharles) March 13, 2026

Catholicism – the fullness of Christianity – is notably the largest religion in the United States, with more than one quarter of the country affiliated with the Catholic Church.

Hegseth had invited Wilson to the Pentagon to lead a February 17 prayer service, with the Department of War sharing a photo of the secretary at the service via X.

We have gathered at the Pentagon for our monthly worship service.

We are One Nation Under God. pic.twitter.com/o5L8GgjFS8

— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) February 17, 2026

Hegseth also attends Pilgrim Hill Reformed Fellowship, a CREC church in the Nashville, Tennessee, area. Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell also told the Associated Press that the secretary “very much appreciates” many of Wilson’s teachings and writings.