Catholic Soldiers Should Not Participate in Firing Squad Execution, Archbishop Says

Catholic soldiers should not participate in the execution of the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooter, according to the archbishop who oversees pastoral services for the military. The Pentagon is facing criticism from lawmakers due to the possibility that the military will livestream the December 3 execution of Nidal Hasan, who was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others at Fort Hood. The proposal is also facing opposition from religious leaders in the Catholic Church.On Monday, the archbishop for military services, Timothy Broglio, said that “all men and women of good will” should ask the military to reconsider the decision to livestream the execution. He also said, “As I would in the case of a procured abortion, I oblige any Catholics assigned to the firing squad to request to be excused from this action contrary to the teaching of the Church.”The statement, while expressing sympathy to the families of the victims, harshly criticized the proposal to livestream the execution.“Do we really want to imitate the terrorists of this world and make a public spectacle of barbarically killing our adversaries?” the archbishop asked. “The U.S. military generally enjoys a good reputation in the world. Is there really a value to throwing them in the same boat with terrorists by broadcasting the image of the execution of a man in a wheelchair to the whole world?”The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Paul Coakley, also condemned the plans to livestream Hasan’s execution, saying in a statement, “The public execution even of one who has done grave harm will only further undermine the moral fabric of our nation and be a blight on the conscience of its people.”In 2018, the Catholic Church revised the section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church that addressed the death penalty to state that the “death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.”On Saturday, Pope Leo XIV reiterated the church’s stance on the death penalty. He wrote on X that the “common good can be safeguarded and the requirements of justice can be met without recourse to capital punishment.” Pope Leo has also implied that someone cannot be described as pro-life if they oppose abortion but support the death penalty. Many mainline denominations in Christianity also oppose the death penalty. The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, Reverend Sean Rowe, said in a statement published by the denomination that the plan for Hasan’s execution is “reprehensible in the extreme.”However, some evangelical pastors have spoken out in support of the plan. A megachurch pastor at Dallas and an ally of President Trump, Robert Jeffress, has publicly supported the plan. Mr. Jeffress wrote on X that “capital punishment is commanded by God” and that the “more people that can see that truth illustrated through a public execution, the better.”While the Catholic Church opposes the death penalty, the church has not said what penalty, if any, someone who is Catholic might face if they were to be involved in carrying out a state-sanctioned execution. The military has not said how it will choose who will be part of the firing squad for Hasan’s execution. However, the Army does allow soldiers to request a religious exemption. Vice President Vance, who is Catholic, said he would not watch the execution if it is livestreamed. He also suggested that there may not be a livestream, saying, “I don’t know that that’s going to happen.” Mr. Trump also seemed to imply that a final decision had not been made about whether the execution will be broadcast.

Catholic Soldiers Should Not Participate in Firing Squad Execution, Archbishop Says

Catholic Soldiers Should Not Participate in Firing Squad Execution, Archbishop Says

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