Catholic servicemembers in the Army should ask to be excused from participating in the upcoming firing squad execution of a convicted Fort Hood mass shooter, which the Pentagon has suggested livestreaming. This counsel came on Monday from a prominent U.S. archbishop who oversees Catholic pastoral services for the military.
Archbishop Timothy Broglio articulated several objections to the Pentagon's unprecedented proposal to broadcast the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan. Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, was found guilty of killing 13 individuals and injuring 32 others in a 2009 shooting rampage at the Fort Hood military installation. Now 56, Hasan utilizes a wheelchair, having been shot by responding officers during the attack.
The U.S. Army has scheduled Hasan's execution for December 3, at 1 p.m. CST, at Fort Hood. If carried out, it would mark the first time the U.S. military has executed someone by firing squad since 1945, and the first military execution by any method since 1961. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth reportedly expressed a desire for soldiers to execute Hasan at the same time, day, and location as the original shooting, arguing that making the execution public would serve as a deterrent.
Archbishop Calls for Religious Exemption
Archbishop Broglio recalled officiating at the funeral of Michael Grant Cahill, the sole civilian fatality in Hasan's attack, and expressed his sorrow regarding the tragic event. However, the archbishop questioned whether the U.S. government intended to "imitate the terrorists of this world and make a public spectacle of barbarically killing our adversaries."
Hasan's crime "was heinous, but does exposing the public to his execution serve any purpose?" Broglio inquired in a released statement.
"I oblige any Catholics assigned to the firing squad to request to be excused from this action contrary to the teaching of the Church," he continued.
Army regulations do allow soldiers to seek religious exemptions or accommodations. It remains unclear how the military plans to select individuals for the firing squad.
"The U.S. military generally enjoys a good reputation in the world," Broglio stated. "Is there really a value to throwing them in the same boat with terrorists by broadcasting the image of the execution of a man in a wheelchair to the whole world?"
A U.S. government execution has never been publicly broadcast, making this an unprecedented plan that has drawn significant criticism from both political and religious figures.
Widespread Condemnation from Religious and Political Figures
Broglio joins other Catholic leaders in expressing strong disapproval of the Pentagon's plans to livestream the execution. Archbishop Paul Coakley, who heads the U.S. bishops conference, conveyed "shock" and "great sorrow" over the public execution proposal, urging the U.S. government to reconsider.
"In no way can Hasan’s actions be condoned but this decision is a barbaric promotion of a culture of death and must be reconsidered," Coakley stated on Friday. "The public execution even of one who has done grave harm will only further undermine the moral fabric of our nation and and be a blight on the conscience of its people."
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, described the proposed broadcast as "truly incomprehensible" and warned that it was "unacceptable to turn death into a spectacle."
"The Church’s position is one of total opposition to the death penalty; it is incompatible with human dignity and serves as no deterrent," Parolin informed reporters on Friday. According to an English translation published by Vatican News, Parolin elaborated, "It is truly incomprehensible that anyone would want to use this method in this day and age. I do not know for what purpose. It is certainly unacceptable to turn death into a spectacle. However guilty the person may be, there are other ways."
Parolin reiterated that the death penalty "is incompatible with human dignity and does not serve as a deterrent."
Pope Leo XIV also reaffirmed the Catholic Church's opposition to the death penalty as "inadmissible" in a social media post on Saturday, coinciding with World Day Against the Death Penalty. Citing Catholic doctrine, which was revised under his predecessor, Pope Francis, Leo underscored that capital punishment violates human dignity.
"The death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person. The common good can be safeguarded and the requirements of justice can be met without recourse to capital punishment: effective systems of detention have been developed that protect citizens while at the same time do not completely deprive those who are guilty of the possibility of redemption," wrote Leo, the first American pope, on X. His post did not specifically mention the Pentagon's execution plan for Hasan.
President Donald Trump stated on Saturday that he had not yet made a decision on whether to permit the livestream plan to proceed, although reports indicate he has expressed private reservations about broadcasting the execution. Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic, voiced skepticism about the Pentagon moving forward with a public execution, adding that he would not watch the livestream if it were to occur.
Several lawmakers, including Republicans, have publicly opposed plans to broadcast the execution. "Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do," said Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, on Thursday. "It should not be happening in America."
