The archbishop who oversees the spiritual care of Catholics serving in the US military condemned the Pentagon’s proposed plans to livestream the firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan later this year.
Archbishop Timothy Broglio also stipulated in a Monday statement that any Catholic soldier assigned to the US army firing squad should ask to be excused from that duty, which he described as contrary to the teachings of the church. He joins other Catholic leaders in speaking out against the death penalty and the live stream plans.
Hasan, an army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people in 2009 at Fort Hood in Texas, is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on 3 December.
Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, announced last week that Hasan’s execution would be public, and the Pentagon later confirmed it would be livestreamed.
Broglio recalled that he presided over the funeral of Michael Grant Cahill, the only civilian killed in that attack.
The crime committed by Hasan “was heinous, but does exposing the public to his execution serve any purpose?” Broglio asked.
“The US military generally enjoys a good reputation in the world,” Broglio added. “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?”
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