Pope Leo XIV has declared the death penalty an attack on human dignity as the United States faces growing backlash over plans to livestream the execution of a former Army psychiatrist by firing squad. The American-born pope made the remarks on Saturday, marking the World Day Against the Death Penalty, drawing global attention to the ongoing debate surrounding capital punishment.
Leo XIV took to the social media platform X and repeated the Catholic Church's position that capital punishment is inadmissible because it violates the dignity of the human person. He also stated that justice, deterrence, and public safety can be effectively protected and maintained without resorting to putting offenders to death.
The timing of his comments has drawn significant attention in the U.S., where the Pentagon plans to livestream the December 3 execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting. Hasan is expected to be executed by firing squad at the same Texas military base where the tragic attack took place over a decade ago.
If carried out as planned, it would mark the first U.S. military execution by firing squad since 1945 and the first military execution of any kind since 1961. Pope Leo did not mention Hasan by name in his public statements or directly refer to the planned broadcast by the military authorities.
However, other senior Catholic figures have openly criticised the move, expressing deep moral concerns over the state-sponsored killing and its public display. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin called the idea of livestreaming the execution completely unacceptable, while Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, described turning an execution into a public spectacle as barbaric.
The controversial issue has also caused considerable unease beyond the traditional boundaries of the Catholic Church, prompting debate across various political and social circles in the country. Several Republican and Democratic lawmakers have questioned whether an execution should ever be broadcast publicly to millions of viewers.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have both indicated that the livestream plan remains under active discussion and review by the administration. Human rights organizations and legal experts continue to monitor the situation closely, anticipating potential court challenges before the scheduled execution date in December.