US Military Revives Firing Squads for Executions; Catholic Archbishop Opposes Participation

The U.S. military is preparing for its first execution by firing squad since 1945, with the scheduled December 3 execution of Nidal Hasan, the Fort Hood mass shooter. The Pentagon further announced its intention to livestream the execution, a decision Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated is meant to highlight the severe consequences for such crimes. This marks the first military execution of any kind since 1961.

This move has drawn strong opposition from prominent Catholic leaders. Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who provides pastoral care for Catholics in the U.S. military, condemned the execution plan and specifically urged any Catholic soldiers assigned to the firing squad to seek exemption, citing that participation would contradict Church teachings.

Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, echoed this condemnation, calling the livestreaming plan a "barbaric promotion of a culture of death." The Catholic Church maintains a clear stance against the death penalty, asserting it is "inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person."