US Archbishop urges Catholic soldiers to refuse firing squad role in Hasan execution
Archbishop Timothy Broglio has ordered Catholic military members to seek exemption from the planned firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan.
US military archbishop orders Catholics to refuse firing squad duty ahead of Hasan execution
Archbishop Timothy Broglio, head of the Archdiocese for the US Military Services, has formally ordered Catholic soldiers to request exemption from serving on the firing squad tasked with executing Nidal Hasan, the former army major who killed 13 people in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting in Texas. Al Jazeera reports that Broglio released a strongly worded statement on Monday citing irreconcilable conflict with Catholic teaching.
"I oblige any Catholics assigned to the firing squad to request to be excused from this action contrary to the teaching of the Church," Broglio wrote.
The statement was prompted by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's announcement last week that Hasan's execution, scheduled for 3 December, would be livestreamed to the public. Hegseth framed the broadcast as a deterrent, telling right-wing outlet Real America's Voice: "We'll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it's public, because people need to understand that there are serious consequences for these types of things."
Broglio pushed back sharply on that reasoning, questioning whether the United States wished to "imitate the terrorists of this world and make a public spectacle of barbarically killing our adversaries." He also warned that broadcasting the execution of a wheelchair-bound man — Hasan, now 56, was shot by police during the 2009 attack and has not walked since — could damage the US military's standing internationally.
"The US military generally enjoys a good reputation in the world," Broglio wrote. "Is there really a value to throwing them in the same boat with terrorists by broadcasting the image of the execution of a man in a wheelchair to the whole world?"
Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, added his voice to the condemnation on Monday in a social media post that questioned the impact on children. "Capital punishment is unacceptable in any case," Cupich said. "The planned broadcast of the taking of a life by firing squad is nothing short of performative barbarism. Do we really want our children, who will inevitably view it, exposed to the pornography of a state-sponsored slaying?"
Pope Leo also issued a statement on Saturday, stopping short of naming Hasan's case but declaring that "the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person." The pontiff added that effective detention systems could protect citizens without permanently foreclosing the possibility of redemption for those convicted.
The backlash against the proposed livestream has extended beyond religious leaders. Lawmakers, human rights organisations and other critics have warned that a publicly broadcast military execution could be exploited as anti-US propaganda by hostile armed groups. Some have specifically raised concern that turning Hasan's death into a televised event could make him a symbolic figure for such organisations.
Hegseth has stated that he wants the execution to take place at Fort Hood itself — the scene of the 2009 attack — and at the same time of day the shooting occurred. He has also expressed enthusiasm for reviving the firing squad as a method, drawing a comparison to wartime practice. "It hadn't been since World War II since we've done that," Hegseth said. "Well, I kind of like the mentality we had in World War II, which was win."
The last US military execution carried out by firing squad was that of Eddie Slovik in 1945, convicted of desertion — the only American soldier to have such a sentence carried out for abandoning his post.
President Donald Trump approved Hasan's execution and has been a consistent advocate for expanded use of the federal death penalty since returning to office. In April, he signed off on additional execution methods, including the firing squad. He has also previously proposed capital punishment for crimes including drug trafficking and sedition.
On the question of the livestream, however, Trump indicated on Saturday that a final decision had not yet been made. "There are two thoughts: Don't show it and show it. Because, you know, by showing it, maybe other people won't be doing what he did," he told reporters. "I'll make a decision."
Hasan was convicted of the Fort Hood attack, in which he opened fire on fellow soldiers, killing 13 and wounding dozens of others. He has been on death row since his 2013 court-martial conviction.
Source: Google News MT