Pope Leo has renewed his opposition to the death penalty, warning that capital punishment violates human dignity and denies people the opportunity for redemption, amid growing controversy over plans by the United States military to livestream an upcoming execution.
The Pope made the remarks on Saturday, October 10, in a social media message marking the World Day Against the Death Penalty. Although he did not directly mention the Pentagon’s livestream plan, his comments came days after US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the military intended to broadcast the execution of a convicted gunman.
“The common good can be safeguarded and the requirements of justice can be met without recourse to capital punishment,” Leo said.
“The death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person,” he added.
Pope Leo, the first pontiff from the United States, has repeatedly spoken against capital punishment, arguing that justice can be achieved without taking a person’s life.
US Military Plans Unprecedented Livestreamed Execution
The Pentagon’s proposed broadcast involves Nidal Hasan, a former US Army psychiatrist convicted of carrying out a mass shooting at Fort Hood, a military base in Texas, in 2009.
Hasan killed 13 people in the attack, which remains one of the deadliest shootings on a US military installation.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Thursday that the military planned to livestream Hasan’s execution by firing squad. If carried out as proposed, the broadcast would mark an unprecedented livestream of a US execution.
Hasan is set to become the first person executed by firing squad by the US military since 1945.
The plan, championed by Hegseth, has triggered opposition from several quarters, including lawmakers from President Donald Trump’s Republican Party, religious leaders and international observers.
Critics have raised concerns about the proposed public broadcast and the broader implications of the execution.
Trump Yet to Decide on Livestream
Despite Hegseth’s support for the proposal, President Donald Trump has said he has not yet decided whether to approve the livestream.
US Vice President JD Vance, who is Catholic, has also expressed doubts about whether the Pentagon would proceed with broadcasting the scheduled execution.
Vance further stated that he would not watch the livestream if it went ahead.
The debate has placed the proposed execution under increased scrutiny, particularly because of the unprecedented nature of broadcasting a US military execution live.
Death Penalty Debate Intensifies in the US
The controversy comes amid renewed debate over capital punishment in the United States following a botched lethal injection involving a woman in Tennessee last week.
The incident has added to concerns surrounding the administration of the death penalty and the methods used to carry out executions.
Pope Leo’s latest remarks reinforce the Catholic Church’s opposition to capital punishment, with the pontiff maintaining that protecting society and delivering justice do not require the execution of offenders.
His intervention comes as the Trump administration faces growing criticism over the proposed livestream and the wider implications of the planned military execution.
