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Pope Leo declares death penalty ‘inadmissible’ as his native U.S. plans to livestream execution
NBC News • • nation
Key Points:
- Pope Leo XIV reaffirmed the Catholic Church's revised teaching, declaring capital punishment “inadmissible” and emphasizing the dignity of human life and the possibility of redemption without resorting to the death penalty.
- The U.S. Defense Department announced plans to livestream the firing squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, convicted of the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, scheduled for December 3.
- Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin condemned the planned public execution as “unacceptable” and criticized turning death into a spectacle, reiterating the Church’s total opposition to the death penalty.
- Archbishop Paul Coakley, head of the U.S. bishops conference, expressed shock and sorrow over the Pentagon’s decision, calling it a “barbaric promotion of a culture of death” that harms the moral fabric of the nation.
- Pope Leo XIV’s message coincided with the World Day Against the Death Penalty, highlighting the Church’s ongoing commitment to opposing capital punishment and promoting humane alternatives.
