Military archbishop urges Catholics to avoid planned Hasan firing squad
publishers 17articles 18first reported 12 Oct, 18:57 UTCdeveloping since 13 Oct · 7 editions
Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who oversees Catholic ministry to members of the U.S. armed forces, has directed Catholic service members assigned to the planned firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan to request an exemption.
Hasan, a former Army major, was convicted of killing 13 people in a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. President Donald Trump has approved his execution by firing squad, scheduled for December 3, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has proposed livestreaming it as a deterrent. Trump has said he is still deciding whether the broadcast should proceed.
In a statement Monday, Broglio called participation in the firing squad contrary to Catholic teaching and questioned whether broadcasting the execution would “imitate the terrorists of this world and make a public spectacle of barbarically killing our adversaries.” Army regulations allow soldiers to seek religious accommodations, though the Army has not said how it would select the firing squad.
Broglio also raised concerns about the broadcast’s effect on children and the military’s international reputation. Cardinal Blase Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago, separately condemned both capital punishment and the proposed livestream.
The plan has also drawn criticism from lawmakers. House Speaker Mike Johnson warned that an execution video could become a recruiting tool for terrorists. Hegseth has said he wants the execution conducted at the same time and location as the 2009 attack. The U.S. military has not carried out an execution by firing squad since 1945, and death-penalty experts said no U.S. government execution has previously been broadcast or livestreamed.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 5 articles, 2 with the publisher's own text; 5 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 12 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
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- Source articles
- 18
- Given to the writer
- 5, 2 with the article's own text
- Independent newsrooms
- 5
- This version written
- 12 h after the record first saw the story
- Second model (editor)
- kept as written
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