Pope Leo XIV Condemns Death Penalty Amid U.S. Plans for Livestreamed Execution

Pope Leo XIV has reaffirmed the Catholic Church's opposition to capital punishment as the U.S. Pentagon prepares to livestream the firing squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan on December 3.

Marking the World Day Against the Death Penalty on Saturday, Pope Leo XIV declared on X that the death penalty is "inadmissible" because it attacks human dignity. According to CBS News and Euronews, the U.S.-born Pope argued that justice can be met through modern detention systems without depriving the guilty of the possibility of redemption. While his post did not name a specific case, it followed a Pentagon announcement regarding the planned public execution of the gunman convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, explicitly criticized the U.S. plan, calling it "truly incomprehensible" to turn death into a spectacle. Parolin told Vatican News that the Church maintains total opposition to the death penalty, stating it is incompatible with human dignity and does not serve as a deterrent. These comments came after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that Nidal Malik Hasan would be put to death by firing squad.

Hasan, a former U.S. Army major, was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others. CBS News reports that his scheduled execution would be the first carried out by the U.S. military since 1961. Reuters also noted that the Trump administration is considering the livestreamed format, a move that has drawn significant criticism from religious leaders.

Archbishop Paul Coakley, head of the U.S. bishops’ conference, described the Pentagon's decision as a "barbaric promotion of a culture of death." He stated that while Hasan's actions cannot be condoned, a public execution would further undermine the moral fabric and conscience of the nation. Euronews noted that the debate has also been fueled by a recent botched lethal injection in Tennessee.

Background

In 2018, Pope Francis updated the Catechism of the Catholic Church to declare the death penalty inadmissible in all circumstances. This revised teaching replaced previous guidance that allowed for capital punishment if it was the only way to defend human lives against an unjust aggressor.