A spokesperson has hit out over reports on Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth quoting a fake Bible verse from the movie Pulp Fiction during a sermon at a Pentagon religious service.
Speaking at a worship service, Hegseth read a prayer given to him by the "lead mission planner" of the rescue mission for two Air Force crew who were shot down over Iran.
"The path of the downed aviator is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men," Hegseth prayed.
READ MORE: Trump calls presenter 'least attractive', demands she be taken off TV
"Blessed is he who, in the name of camaraderie and duty, shepherd the lost through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children.
"And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to capture and destroy my brother. And you will know my call sign is Sandy 1 when I lay my vengeance upon thee, and amen."
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the prayer was "obviously inspired by dialogue in Pulp Fiction".
"However, both the CSAR prayer and the dialogue in Pulp Fiction were reflections of the verse Ezekiel 25:17, as Secretary Hegseth clearly said in his remarks at the prayer service," Parnell said.
"Anyone saying the Secretary misquoted Ezekiel 25:17 is peddling fake news and ignorant of reality."
The first few lines of the prayer were written by Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary in the popular '90s film.
READ MORE: Trump said he appointed counterterrorism official because his wife died
In the movie, the character played by Samuel L Jackson falsely claims they are from the Bible passage Ezekiel 25:17.
Jackson's character utters the verse before gunning down a small-time criminal who owed his gangster boss money.
But Hegseth's prayer changed "the LORD" in the Bible so it was instead about the unit involved in the rescue.
The Trump administration is under scrutiny for a series of acts this week that have been viewed by many Christians as blasphemous or heretical.
On Monday Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus Christ. He later deleted it.
He has also made the extraordinary rare move of attacking the pope after he called for peace in the Middle East.
And Vice President JD Vance criticised Pope Leo XIV for his comments.
"In the same way that it's important for the vice president of the United States to be careful when I talk about matters of public policy, I think it's very, very important for the Pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology," Vance said.
"If you're going to opine on matters of theology, you've got to be careful, you've got to make sure it's anchored in the truth."
READ MORE: JD Vance criticises Pope Leo for not 'being careful speaking about theology'
Today the Archbishop of Canterbury, the most senior member of clergy in the Anglican church, issued a statement in support of the Catholic pontiff.
"I stand with my brother in Christ, his holiness Pope Leo XIV, in his courageous call for a kingdom of peace," Archbishop Sarah Mullally said.
"As innocent people are killed and displaced, families torn apart and futures destroyed, the human cost of war is incalculable."
READ MORE: Proposed team of experts to decide if Trump is fit for office
NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.
- Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play
- Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here
- Sign up to our breaking newsletter here