Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who oversees Catholic pastoral services for the U.S. military, has urged Catholic soldiers assigned to the firing squad for Nidal Malik Hasan to request exemption on religious grounds. Broglio said participation would conflict with Church teaching and questioned the purpose of broadcasting the execution.
Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, was convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people and wounded 32. The Army has scheduled his execution by firing squad for Dec. 3 at Fort Hood. If carried out, it would be the first U.S. military execution by firing squad since 1945 and the first military execution by any method since 1961, according to the source report.
The Pentagon has proposed livestreaming the execution, a plan that would be unprecedented for a U.S. government execution. The source report says Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has argued a public broadcast could serve as a deterrent. It remains unclear how the military would select firing-squad members. Army regulations allow soldiers to seek religious accommodations.
Broglio acknowledged the gravity of Hasan’s crime and recalled presiding over the funeral of Michael Grant Cahill, the only civilian killed in the attack. He questioned whether a public broadcast would benefit the country or the military.
Other Catholic leaders have also opposed the proposal. Archbishop Paul Coakley, head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, called for reconsideration, while Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin criticized turning an execution into a spectacle. Pope Leo XIV reiterated the Catholic Church’s opposition to capital punishment in a post marking the World Day Against the Death Penalty, without specifically referring to Hasan’s case.
President Donald Trump said Saturday that he had not decided whether to approve the livestream plan. Vice President JD Vance expressed doubts that it would proceed and said he would not watch it. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis also criticized the proposal.
