Pope Leo XIV condemns the death penalty, as Donald Trump plans to broadcast an execution live on television

New exchange of arms between the first American pope in history and the President of the United States. Pope Leo

The U.S. military may livestream the upcoming platoon execution of former Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 people at the Fort Hood military base in 2009, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday. Such a broadcast would be unprecedented in the United States. No one has been executed by military platoon in the United States since 1945.

Skip the ad

An uncertain diffusion

“The common good can be preserved and the demands of justice can be met without resorting to capital punishment,” said Leo XIV, in a message published on social networks, without mentioning the Pentagon project. “The death penalty is unacceptable because it constitutes an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person,” he added in this message published on the occasion of the World Day Against the Death Penalty.

The livestreaming plan, championed by Hegseth, has drawn opposition from lawmakers, including President Donald Trump's Republicans, religious leaders and international observers. Donald Trump himself said he had not yet decided whether he would allow the live broadcast, while JD Vance, who is Catholic, expressed skepticism about the project. The Vice President of the United States notably declared that he would not watch the live broadcast if it took place. This proposed execution comes as the debate over the death penalty intensifies in the United States, following the botched lethal injection of a Tennessee woman last week.