Pope calls death penalty inadmissible amid execution livestream plan

Pope Leo XIV called the death penalty “inadmissible” in a post marking World Day Against the Death Penalty, as U.S. officials plan to livestream the firing squad execution of a man convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas.

The American pope did not mention the planned execution in his post on X. He reiterated Catholic teaching that capital punishment 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,” Leo wrote. “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.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, scheduled for Dec. 3, would be livestreamed, according to Al Jazeera. A Pentagon official later confirmed the plan, the outlet reported. Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in a 2009 shooting at the Fort Hood military base. His execution would be the first by the U.S. military since 1961, according to CBS News.

Hours before Leo’s post, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin directly criticized the livestream plan. In comments carried by Vatican News, he called it “truly incomprehensible” and said 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 said. “Even if the person is guilty, of course, there are other methods.”

Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, amended official Catholic teaching in 2018 to declare capital punishment inadmissible in all circumstances, Al Jazeera reported. Previously, the church’s catechism allowed its use if it was the only possible way to defend human lives against an unjust aggressor.

Archbishop Paul Coakley, head of the U.S. bishops conference, expressed “shock” and “great sorrow” at the livestream plan. “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,” he said Friday.

The plan also drew criticism from both major U.S. parties. Republican Representative Austin Scott said he supported Hasan’s execution but added that “livestreaming executions is what Jihadists do. America is better than that.” Democratic Senator Mark Kelly said Hasan should “face justice,” but compared public executions to practices associated with Iran and the Taliban, according to Al Jazeera.

President Donald Trump said Friday that he approved of executing Hasan by firing squad. “I really don’t care how he goes, as long as he goes,” Trump told reporters. He did not appear to answer questions about whether the execution should be livestreamed, CBS News reported.

Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert, expressed doubt Friday that the livestream would happen and said he would not watch it if it did. Leo’s post also did not refer to the botched lethal injection of Christa Pike in Tennessee last month, which CBS News said has revived U.S. debate over capital punishment.