In a post published Saturday to mark the World Day Against the Death Penalty, Pope Leo in a X statement said that justice can be upheld and that the common good can be safeguarded without relying on capital punishment, and that effective detention systems can shield citizens without stripping offenders of any chance at redemption.
Pope Leo’s condemnation came days after the reported Pentagon plan to livestream the firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army major convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people and wounded 32 others.
“The death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person,” Pop Leo said in the X post.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed Thursday that the execution would be public, in an interview with Jack Posobiec on Real America’s Voice.
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, condemned the plan in a statement on Oct. 9 to Vatican News.
“In no way can Hassan’s actions be condoned but this decision is a barbaric promotion of a culture of death and must be reconsidered,” Coakley said.
“The word of God exhorts us: ‘do not repay anyone evil for evil’ [Romans 12:17]. The public execution even of one who has done grave harm will only further undermine the moral fabric of our nation and be a blight on the conscience of its people,” he added.
Pope Leo’s position on the matter is consistent with his practice of visiting prisons during apostolic journeys to affirm the inherent dignity of every person and the possibility of redemption.
“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.” Leo told inmates, During his April 22, 2026 visit to Bata Prison in Equatorial Guinea.
Speaking specifically about the planned U.S. execution, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said the proposal to livestream it was unacceptable, questioning the purpose of turning an execution into a public spectacle.
“It is truly incomprehensible that anyone would want to use this method in this day and age. I do not know for what purpose. It is certainly unacceptable to turn death into a spectacle. However guilty the person may be, there are other ways,” Parolin told journalists on the evening of Friday, Oct. 9, Vatican News reported.
Parolin reiterated the Church’s teaching on capital punishment:
“The Church’s position is one of total opposition to the death penalty. It is incompatible with human dignity and does not serve as a deterrent.”
