US archbishop says Catholics in army should not participate in firing squad
US Archbishop Timothy Broglio has urged Catholic military personnel to refuse participation in the upcoming livestreamed execution of Nidal Hasan. The Archbishop argues that the public spectacle of an execution violates church teachings and risks becoming a propaganda tool.
Why it matters
The conflict pits military policy and deterrence strategies against religious and ethical objections to public executions.
Archbishop Timothy Broglio says the US plan to livestream the execution of the Fort Hood attacker is contrary to church’s teachings.
x whatsapp-stroke copylink google Add Al Jazeera on Google info US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has framed plans for a livestreamed execution as deterrence [File: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters] By Brian Osgood and Reuters Published On 12 Oct 2026 12 Oct 2026 United States Archbishop Timothy Broglio has urged Catholics who are members of the country’s armed forces not to take part in a planned public execution by firing squad, saying that it violates the teachings of the church.
Broglio released a strongly worded statement on Monday raising a series of concerns about the US military’s plan to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, a former army major who killed 13 people during a shooting attack at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009.
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