What happened
The archbishop for the U.S. military, Timothy Broglio, has urged Catholic soldiers to recuse themselves from the firing squad tasked with carrying out the execution of Nidal Hasan, the convicted Fort Hood shooter.
According to Broglio, the Catholic Church opposes the death penalty, and he advised Catholic service members to request to be excused from the firing squad. He also condemned plans to livestream the event, stating that it would be similar to the actions of terrorist organizations.
Broglio's statement aligns with Bishop Daniel E. Garcia, whose diocese includes Fort Hood, in opposing the execution. Garcia previously stated that the firing squad execution would exacerbate the trauma caused by Hasan's actions, which killed 13 people at the central Texas Army base in 2009.
The opposition to the execution and livestreaming comes after Pope Leo XIV reaffirmed the church's opposition to capital punishment, calling it inadmissible. While the pope did not directly address Hasan's execution, his remarks were made shortly after news broke about plans to broadcast it.
