Pope says death penalty "inadmissible" amid U.S. plans to livestream execution

Pope Leo XIV and top Vatican officials have reiterated the Catholic Church's opposition to capital punishment as 'inadmissible' following the U.S. Defense Department's announcement to livestream the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan. Hasan, convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, is scheduled to die by firing squad on December 3, marking the first U.S. military execution since 1961. While the Pope's message coincided with the World Day Against the Death Penalty, Cardinal Pietro Parolin explicitly condemned the livestreaming as an unacceptable 'spectacle.' President Trump expressed support for the execution method, while Vice President JD Vance voiced skepticism regarding the livestreaming plans.

Pope Leo XIV and top Vatican officials have reiterated the Catholic Church's opposition to capital punishment as 'inadmissible' following the U.S. Defense Department's announcement to livestream the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan. Hasan, convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, is scheduled to die by firing squad on December 3, marking the first U.S. military execution since 1961. While the Pope's message coincided with the World Day Against the Death Penalty, Cardinal Pietro Parolin explicitly condemned the livestreaming as an unacceptable 'spectacle.' President Trump expressed support for the execution method, while Vice President JD Vance voiced skepticism regarding the livestreaming plans.