Pope Leo XIV declared capital punishment 'inadmissible' on World Day Against the Death Penalty. This coincides with US plans to livestream the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan.
Pope Leo XIV declared capital punishment "inadmissible" on Saturday while marking the World Day Against the Death Penalty. The statement comes as the United States, the pope's native country, announced plans to livestream an execution by firing squad.
In a post on X under his official handle, @Pontifex, Pope Leo quoted revised Catholic teaching established by Pope Francis. The post stated, "The common good can be safeguarded and the requirements of justice can be met without recourse to capital punishment." It further noted that "Effective systems of detention have been developed that protect citizens while at the same time do not completely deprive those who are guilty of the possibility of redemption." The message concluded with the hashtag #NoDeathPenalty.
Pope Francis amended official Catholic teaching in 2018 to declare capital punishment "inadmissible" in all circumstances. Previously, the Catechism of the Catholic Church allowed for the death penalty "if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor." While past popes upheld that earlier position, St. John Paul II began urging an end to the practice.
The U.S. Defense Department announced on Thursday that the firing squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan will be livestreamed. Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in a 2009 shooting at the Fort Hood military base. He is scheduled to be executed at Fort Hood on Dec. 3.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state and Leo’s top deputy, explicitly criticized the planned public execution. "It is truly incomprehensible that anyone would want to use this system today — I don't know for what purpose," Parolin said in comments carried by Vatican News. He added, "It is certainly unacceptable to turn death into a spectacle; even if the person is guilty, of course, there are other methods."
Archbishop Paul Coakley, head of the U.S. bishops conference, expressed "shock" and "great sorrow" regarding the Pentagon's plans. "In no way can Hasan’s actions be condoned but this decision is a barbaric promotion of a culture of death and must be reconsidered," Coakley said in a statement Friday. He argued that public execution "will only further undermine the moral fabric of our nation and be a blight on the conscience of its people."
Pope Leo has continued the tradition of visiting prisons to emphasize the inherent dignity of inmates. During a visit to Bata prison in Equatorial Guinea in April, Leo told inmates, "If any of you fear being abandoned by everyone, know that God will never abandon you, and that the church will stand by your side." He is scheduled to visit a prison in Buenos Aires during an upcoming tour through Latin America.
The clash between the Vatican's moral stance and the U.S. government's decision to livestream an execution highlights a significant divergence in how capital punishment is viewed by religious institutions and state authorities. The specific plan to broadcast the execution by firing squad has drawn sharp criticism from Catholic leaders, who argue it violates human dignity and serves no deterrent purpose.
President Donald Trump stated on Saturday that he would make the final decision on whether the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan is livestreamed. According to Khaama Press, Vice President JD Vance expressed doubts about the proposal and said he would not watch the broadcast if it proceeds. The controversy follows a failed lethal-injection attempt in Tennessee last month, which has intensified scrutiny of execution procedures in the United States.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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