Pope Leo Calls Death Penalty ‘Inadmissible’ as US Plans Livestreamed Execution

Pope Leo XIV has reiterated the Catholic Church’s opposition to capital punishment, declaring the death penalty “inadmissible” as the United States faces controversy over plans to livestream the execution of convicted Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan.

The American-born pontiff made the statement on Saturday, October 10, in a message marking the World Day Against the Death Penalty. He cited Catholic teaching that justice and public safety can be maintained without executions, arguing that imprisonment can protect society while preserving the possibility of redemption for convicted offenders.

“The common good can be safeguarded and the requirements of justice can be met without recourse to capital punishment,” Leo wrote in a post on X, ending his message with the hashtag #NoDeathPenalty. His statement echoed the revised Catholic Church teaching introduced by his predecessor, Pope Francis, in 2018.

Although Leo did not directly mention the proposed American execution in his message, his remarks came amid growing criticism of the US military’s plan to broadcast Hasan’s execution by firing squad. The Pentagon announced that the execution was scheduled for December 3, with President Donald Trump saying he supported the death sentence. Trump indicated that the final decision on livestreaming would be made by him.

Hasan, a former US Army psychiatrist, was convicted over the November 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, in which 13 people were killed and 32 others wounded. His planned execution would be the first US military execution by firing squad since 1945, according to reports.

The livestream proposal has drawn strong objections from senior Catholic leaders. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin described the plan as unacceptable, arguing that turning an execution into a public spectacle conflicts with human dignity, even when the person being executed has committed a grave crime.

Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, also criticised the proposal, saying it should be reconsidered. He stressed that condemning the original crime did not require endorsing the public display of a person’s death.

The controversy has also raised questions about the role of media in broadcasting state executions. A Reuters report noted that, if carried out as proposed, the livestream would represent an unprecedented public broadcast of a lawful execution in the United States, where executions have generally been conducted privately for decades.

Leo’s statement comes as the American debate over capital punishment faces renewed scrutiny following a failed lethal-injection attempt involving Tennessee death-row inmate Christa Pike. That incident, alongside the proposed livestream, has intensified discussion about execution procedures, accountability and the dignity of prisoners.

The planned December execution remains subject to further developments, including the final decision on whether it will be broadcast. The Vatican, meanwhile, has reaffirmed its position that capital punishment is incompatible with human dignity and that justice should leave room for the possibility of redemption.