Catholics in the firing squad? A strong statement from the Archbishop
Quick Look
Archbishop Timothy Broglio is criticizing the Pentagon's plan to broadcast live the execution by firing squad of Nidal Hasan, convicted of killing 13 people in 2009, appealing to Catholics to be released from the firing squad and emphasizing the Church's opposition to the death penalty.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Nidal Hasan, a military psychiatrist, carried out an attack on Fort Hood in 2009, killing 13 people and injuring 32. He was sentenced to death in 2013. The last public execution in the US took place in 1936.
Archbishop Timothy Broglio issued a statement Monday on the Pentagon's plan to broadcast live the execution by firing squad of Nidal Hasan, who was convicted of killing 13 people in 2009.
President Donald Trump himself has said he will make a decision on whether the execution will be shown live at a later date.
"Do we want to imitate modern terrorists?"
The head of the chaplains expressed his disapproval of the planned execution of the terrorist and repeated that the Church opposes the death penalty.
The Archbishop asked: "do we really want to imitate modern terrorists and make a public spectacle of the barbaric killing of our opponents?"
He also asked whether a public execution serves any purpose. He drew attention to the harm this could cause to firing squad members and young people.
He asked whether it was worth lumping the American armed forces "with terrorists, broadcasting to the whole world the image of the execution of a man in a wheelchair."
Let Catholics be released from the firing squad
He called for the decision to be reconsidered, or at least "to take all possible measures to protect young people and impressionable people from watching the live broadcast of the planned execution."
"As I would do in the case of abortion on demand, I oblige all Catholics selected for the firing squad to ask to be exempt from participating in this action, which is contrary to Church teaching," he added.
Hasan is scheduled to be shot on December 3 at Fort Hood. The last public execution in the U.S. occurred in 1936, when Rainey Bethea, a black man convicted of raping a white woman, was hanged in Kentucky.
The planned execution is condemned on both sides of the US political scene. On Friday, US Vice President J.D. Vance said he did not know whether the inmate's execution would be broadcast. He added that if that happens, he won't watch it.
Pope: The death penalty is unacceptable
On Saturday, US-born Pope Leo XIV condemned the death penalty on the website X, but did not directly refer to the situation in the United States. "The death penalty is unacceptable because it is an attack on human inviolability and dignity," the pope emphasized.
On November 5, 2009, Hasan, then a military psychiatrist, opened fire in the Fort Hood training center. 12 soldiers and one civilian were killed and 32 people were injured. Hasan was found guilty of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder and sentenced to death in 2013.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
President Trump will postpone a decision to broadcast the execution due to pressure from religious and human rights groups.
Likely · Within weeks
Some military units may experience an increase in requests for exemption from the firing squad from Catholics.
Possible · Within days
Open Questions
- Will the Pentagon finally decide to broadcast the executions?
- What decision will President Trump make on this matter?
- Will the archbishop's appeal affect Catholic soldiers?
- What will be the image consequences for the US in the event of a broadcast?
