NRT briefing
US military archbishop urges Catholic soldiers to refuse involvement in Army firing squad execution
Based on reporting by Fox News.
The Brief
Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who oversees Catholic pastoral services for the U.S. military, on Monday urged Catholic soldiers to refuse involvement in the planned firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting.
The Pentagon has proposed livestreaming the execution, set for Dec. 3 at Fort Hood, which would be the first U.S. military firing squad execution since 1945. Broglio questioned whether livestreaming the killing would "imitate the terrorists of this world" and make "a public spectacle of barbarically killing our adversaries."
He asked whether exposing the public to Hasan's execution serves any purpose, noting Army regulations allow religious accommodations. Other Catholic leaders, including Archbishop Paul Coakley and Cardinal Pietro Parolin, also criticized the plan. Pope Leo XIV reiterated the Church's opposition to the death penalty as "inadmissible" in a social media post, without mentioning the case.
President Donald Trump said he had not decided whether to allow the livestream, and Vice President JD Vance expressed skepticism. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis said public executions are what oppressive dictatorships do.