Pope Leo XIV spoke out this Sunday on the death penalty, following the decision to broadcast live the execution by firing squad of a condemned man in the United States. "The common good can be protected and the requirements of justice can be safeguarded without resorting to capital punishment," the Supreme Pontiff emphasized.
Nidal Malik Hasan, a former U.S. Army psychiatrist, was sentenced to capital punishment for the murder of 13 soldiers in 2009 at a military base in Fort Hood, Texas. He is currently in the North American country's Disciplinary Barracks, where he moves in a wheelchair after being paralyzed from the waist down when the military police detained him and their bullets struck him.
His execution will be carried out by a firing squad in December. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed that it would be public, and subsequently, as The Guardian reported, the Pentagon stated that it would be broadcast live — decisions that have already raised various questions.
In that context, Pope Leo XIV stated on his X account that "the death penalty is inadmissible because it attacks the inviolability and dignity of the person." Likewise, he stressed that "effective penitentiary systems have already been developed that protect citizens and, at the same time, do not completely deprive the guilty of the possibility of redemption."
The death penalty is inadmissible because it attacks the inviolabili…
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WorldUnited States will broadcast live the execution of a disabled man who was convicted of the murder of 13 soldiers. Pope Leo XIV. Photo: Vatican News. CommentsPope Leo XIV spoke out this Sunday on the death penalty, following the decision to broadcast live the firing squad execution of a condemned man in the United States. "The common good can be protected and the requirements of justice can be safeguarded without resorting to capital punishment," the Supreme Pontiff emphasized. Nidal Malik Hasan, a former U.S. Army psychiatrist, was sentenced to death for the murder of 13 soldiers in 2009 at a military base in Fort Hood, Texas. He is currently in the North American country's Disciplinary Barracks, where he moves in a wheelchair after being left paralyzed from the waist down when the military police detained him and their bullets struck him. His execution will be carried out by a firing squad in December. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed that it would be public, and subsequently, as The Guardian reported, the Pentagon stated that it would be broadcast live — decisions that have already raised various questions. In that context, Pope Leo XIV stated on his X account that "the death penalty is inadmissible because it attacks the inviolability and dignity of the person." Likewise, he stressed that "effective penitentiary systems have already been developed that protect citizens and, at the same time, do not completely deprive the guilty of the possibility of redemption." The death penalty is inadmissible because it attacks the inviolability and dignity of the person. The common good can be protected and the requirements of justice can be safeguarded without resorting to capital punishment: effective penitentiary systems have already been developed that… — Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex_es) October 10, 2026
For its part, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) stated that this broadcast would be equivalent to a public execution and would "violate the absolute prohibition of torture," in addition to constituting a violation of the right to life. U.S. President Donald Trump, on the other hand, said the following about Hasan to CNN: "he killed 13-14 people, seriously injured about 20, and is totally crazy, so I really don't care how he goes as long as he goes. I think the death penalty is a very appropriate way for him." Read also:Russian bombing attack on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia leaves at least 12 deadDelcy Rodríguez follows Maduro's lead and moves up Christmas in Venezuela to November 1"The Cockroaches" return to protests against the revision of India's electoral rolls: more than 500 arrested More about:Pope Leo XIVUnited StatesDeath penaltyExecutionFiring squad