Breaking News: Pope Leo XIV has denounced the death penalty as “inadmissible” as the Pentagon considers livestreaming a military execution.
Pope Leo XIV has publicly condemned the death penalty as an attack on human dignity, coinciding with controversy over the Pentagon’s plan to livestream the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan. Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, was convicted of the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, which killed 13 and wounded 32. The Pentagon scheduled Hasan’s execution by firing squad for December 3rd, potentially making it the first such event livestreamed by the US military since 1945. The Pope’s statement, released Saturday, aligns with revisions to Catholic doctrine under Pope Francis.
The Pope’s position, articulated on social media, asserts that the death penalty violates the “inviolability and dignity of the person”, and that justice can be served without resorting to capital punishment. This follows a 2018 revision of the Catholic Catechism, declaring the death penalty “inadmissible in all circumstances”. Prior papal teaching allowed for capital punishment in specific cases, but Pope John Paul II increasingly advocated for its abolition. President Trump stated Saturday he has not yet decided whether to approve the livestream. Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic, voiced his scepticism about the proposal and indicated he would not watch a livestreamed execution. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) denounced the plan as something undertaken by “oppressive dictatorships”. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, described the proposed broadcast as “truly incomprehensible” and “unacceptable”, warning it would “turn death into a spectacle”.
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has also expressed “shock” and “great sorrow”, urging reconsideration of the plan, labelling it a “barbaric promotion of a culture of death”. Concerns have also been raised regarding a recent botched lethal injection in Tennessee.
The Pentagon’s plan remains under review, pending a final decision from the President.
Sources: Fox News, The Daily Telegraph.
