<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The archbishop for the U.S. military on Monday urged Catholic soldiers to recuse themselves from the firing squad assigned to execute convicted Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan, highlighting the Catholic Church’s opposition to the death penalty.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Timothy Broglio, who oversees pastoral care for service members and military chaplains, released a statement advising Catholic service members to request to be excused from the firing squad for Hasan’s execution and criticized War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plans to livestream the event.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Broglio expressed his support for Bishop Daniel E. Garcia, whose diocese includes Fort Hood, in opposing the execution. Garcia had previously stated that the firing squad execution would “exacerbate that trauma” caused by Hasan’s actions, which resulted in the deaths of 13 people at the Texas Army base in 2009.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“As I would in the case of a procured abortion, 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 stated.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Hegseth announced plans to livestream Hasan’s execution last week, but President Donald Trump has indicated that the decision on whether to broadcast the event will be his.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Broglio remarked that livestreaming the execution would “imitate” terrorist organizations that have released videos of executions.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“Do we really want to imitate the terrorists of this world and make a public spectacle of barbarically killing our adversaries?” he asked. “The crime committed by Nidal Malik Hasan was heinous, but does exposing the public to his execution serve any purpose? Has the potential moral injury, which the members of the firing squad might experience, been considered?”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Broglio’s opposition follows Pope Leo XIV reaffirming the Church’s stance against capital punishment, labeling the death penalty as “inadmissible” in a social media post commemorating the World Day Against the Death Penalty. Although the pope did not directly address Hasan’s execution, his comments came shortly after news of Hegseth’s intention to broadcast it.</p>