The senior Catholic prelate responsible for the spiritual care of the US armed forces has told Catholic soldiers they should not take part in the planned firing squad execution of Fort Hood gunman Nidal Malik Hasan. Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, also condemned the Pentagon’s plan to livestream the execution. In a statement issued Monday, Oct. 12, he wrote that “I oblige any Catholics assigned to the firing squad to request to be excused from this action contrary to the teaching of the Church.”
A Rare and Forceful Intervention
Reuters described the statement as unusually strongly worded. It raised a series of objections to what Reuters called an unprecedented plan to broadcast the execution of Hasan, who killed 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, in a 2009 shooting spree. Broglio, who is Ohio-born, wrote that he was speaking out because the proposed execution would be carried out “by those for whose salvation I have been constituted as the Archbishop for the Military Services, USA.”
The Plan Behind the Controversy
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced last week that Hasan’s execution by firing squad would be public. Speaking aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, Hegseth said: “We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public.” The Pentagon confirmed the following day that the execution, set for Dec. 3 at Fort Hood, would be livestreamed. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell had said earlier in the week that President Donald Trump approved the execution.
Hegseth’s Rationale and the Political Backlash
Reuters reported that Hegseth wants US soldiers to carry out the execution at the time, day of the week and location of Hasan’s 2009 shooting spree. Hegseth has argued that making the event public will serve as a deterrent. The announcement triggered a backlash among Republicans in Congress, religious leaders and international observers. Trump approved the firing squad execution but has said he is still deciding whether the livestream will proceed.
An Execution Without Modern Precedent
Death penalty experts say a government execution has never been broadcast or livestreamed in the United States. The US military has not executed anyone by firing squad since 1945, and its last execution of any kind took place in 1961. Hasan, now 56, requires a wheelchair after being shot by police during his arrest.
The Archbishop’s Statement, in Full
Broglio opened by joining the Texas bishops and then spoke of the victims:
“In addition to supporting and subscribing to the statement by my brothers the Bishops of Texas, it is my duty to express my disapproval of what is proposed regarding the execution of the terrorist Hasan in the Archdiocese entrusted to my spiritual care to be done by those for whose salvation I have been constituted as the Archbishop for the Military Services, USA.
“First of all, I renew my expression of heartfelt sympathy to the families and friends of those who died in the attack at Fort Hood. It was an attack that disregarded the dignity of the human person. I had the sad duty of presiding and preaching at the funeral of Michael Grant Cahill, the only civilian killed in that attack.”
The Church’s Position on Capital Punishment
Broglio then restated the Catholic Church’s opposition to the death penalty:
“Secondly, I repeat the opposition of the Catholic Church to capital punishment. The Catechism was already clear and Pope Francis made it even clearer. The dignity of the human person is again at stake.”
Questions About the Livestream
The third section of the statement turned to the broadcast itself. Broglio asked a series of pointed questions:
“Thirdly, do we really want to imitate the terrorists of this world and make a public spectacle of barbarically killing our adversaries? The crime committed by Nidal Malik Hasan was heinous, but does exposing the public to his execution serve any purpose? Has the potential moral injury, which the members of the firing squad might experience, been considered? Will the exposure of a live-stream to the young and impressionable during the 250th anniversary year of our independence be able to be repaired? The US 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 wheel chair to the whole world? Does this decision reflect the dignity of the human person?”
A Call to Reconsider and a Directive to Soldiers
Broglio closed by appealing to the public and then directing Catholic service members:
“I call upon all men and women of good will to ask that this decision be reconsidered and, at the very least, do what is possible to keep the exposure to the live-streaming of the proposed execution from the vision of the young and impressionable. 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.”
Texas Bishops Join the Opposition
Broglio’s statement supported a separate declaration from the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops. The conference condemned both the Dec. 3 execution and the decision to livestream it. Bishop Daniel E. Garcia of Austin, whose diocese includes Fort Hood, said: “True justice cannot be achieved through further violence or vengeance, and a public broadcast of this execution would make a spectacle of death.”
Concern for Survivors, Families and Service Members
Garcia added: “The tragedy at Fort Hood has traumatized the loved ones of those killed, the survivors, and the entire military community. Carrying out this execution at Fort Hood, especially as a public broadcast, will only exacerbate that trauma. We ask the faithful to pray for the service members called upon to participate in the execution, and those on the military base, including children, who may witness or otherwise be exposed to the execution.”
Remembering the Victims
The bishops’ statement noted that Hasan’s Nov. 5, 2009, attack claimed 14 lives, a count that includes the unborn child of Pvt. Francheska Velez, and wounded 32 others. The bishops named the dead as Michael Grant Cahill, Maj. Libardo Eduardo Caraveo, Staff Sgt. Justin M. DeCrow, Capt. John P. Gaffaney, Spc. Frederick Z. Greene, Spc. Jason Dean Hunt, Sgt. Amy Krueger, Pfc. Aaron T. Nemelka, Pfc. Michael S. Pearson, Capt. Russell Seager, Pvt. Francheska Velez, Lt. Col. Juanita Warman and Pfc. Kham S. Xiong.
Religious Exemptions and the Army’s Next Steps
US Army regulations allow soldiers to request religious exemptions or accommodations. The Army has not said how it will select the members of the firing squad. That leaves open whether Catholic soldiers who follow Broglio’s directive would be excused, or whether the selection process would take religious objections into account.
Rome and Washington
Broglio’s statement came shortly after he met with Pope Leo in Rome on Monday. Leo has clashed with Trump and the Pentagon over issues including the Iran war. On Saturday the pope condemned the death penalty without mentioning the Hasan case specifically. Vice President JD Vance, a convert to Catholicism, has said that if the execution is livestreamed, he would not watch it.
What Happens Next
Hasan was sentenced to death at his 2013 court-martial, and the execution is currently set for Dec. 3, 2026. The decision on whether the livestream proceeds rests with Trump. The Pentagon said more details would follow, and the Army has yet to say who will be on the firing squad.