AMERICA: archbishop orders Catholic soldiers not to take part in firing squad execution
The US Catholic archbishop responsible for the spiritual care of America’s armed forces has instructed Catholic soldiers to seek exemption from a planned firing squad execution, declaring that taking part would be contrary to the teachings of the Church.
Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who leads the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, issued the directive on 12 October in response to plans to execute Nidal Malik Hasan, a former US Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, in November 2009.
Hasan, 56, is scheduled to be executed on 3rd December. The Pentagon had initially proposed broadcasting the execution live, prompting widespread condemnation from Catholic leaders and human rights organisations.
In a strongly worded statement, Archbishop Broglio said: “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 archbishop acknowledged the suffering caused by Hasan’s crimes, recalling that he had personally presided over the funeral of Michael Grant Cahill, the only civilian killed in the attack.
However, he insisted that even those responsible for terrible crimes retain their God-given human dignity.
Questioning the proposed public broadcast, he asked whether the United States wished to “imitate the terrorists of this world and make a public spectacle of barbarically killing our adversaries”.
He also expressed concern about the psychological and moral consequences for soldiers ordered to carry out the execution, as well as the potential impact of broadcasting such violence to children.
The controversy has highlighted the Catholic Church’s opposition to capital punishment.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, revised under Pope Francis in 2018, declares the death penalty “inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person”.
Pope Leo XIV reaffirmed that teaching on 10 October, stressing that justice and public safety can be achieved without taking the life of an offender, who must never be deprived entirely of the possibility of redemption.
Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, also condemned the proposed broadcast, describing it as “performative barbarism”.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had defended the proposal, arguing that a publicly witnessed execution would deter future attacks.
However, on 15 October, President Donald Trump reversed the decision to livestream the execution following mounting criticism from religious leaders, politicians and members of the public.
The execution itself remains scheduled to proceed.