US archbishop says Catholics in army should not participate in firing squad

What the report says

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who leads the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, has urged Catholics serving in the armed forces not to take part in a planned firing-squad execution of former army major Nidal Hasan. In a statement reported by Al Jazeera on Monday, Broglio said Catholics assigned to the detail should ask to be excused, arguing that participation would conflict with Church teaching. Hasan was convicted in connection with the 2009 Fort Hood shooting in Texas, in which 13 people were killed.

The dispute centers on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan to livestream the execution, which the Pentagon has framed as a deterrent. According to the report, Hegseth announced last week that the execution was scheduled for Dec. 3 and said the public broadcast would help underscore consequences for violent crimes. He has also said the execution should occur at Fort Hood, the site of the attack. Hasan was wounded in the 2009 incident and is now wheelchair-bound.

Broglio and Chicago Archbishop Blase J. Cupich both criticized the proposal, with Cupich calling capital punishment unacceptable. The article also notes that Pope Leo recently reiterated that the death penalty is inadmissible. Broglio raised concerns about the effect on the military’s image and whether broadcasting the killing could resemble the kind of spectacle used by extremists. The broader debate reflects ongoing tension between the U.S. government’s use of capital punishment and Catholic opposition to it.