Pope Leo condemns death penalty, Vance vows not to watch Hasan’s execution live
Without explicitly referring to the scheduled execution of the Fort Hood killer, the Pope reiterates the Church’s opposition to the death penalty. In the US, Vice-President Vance says he will not watch the execution by firing squad, which is due to be live-streamed in December
On 10 October, Pope Leo XIV issued a strong condemnation of capital punishment, marking the World Day Against the Death Penalty. The Pope, referencing the revised Catholic teaching on capital punishment introduced by his predecessor, Pope Francis, stated that the death penalty attacks the inherent dignity of a human being. He emphasized that effective systems of detention protect citizens and prevent those who are guilty from being completely deprived of the possibility of redemption.
The Pope's statement, published on his official X account, urged the United States to reconsider the planned public execution of Nidal Malik Hasan.
Pope Leo's comments came just hours after Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, explicitly stated that the planned public execution in the United States was "unacceptable" and that it was "unacceptable to turn death into a spectacle." In 2018, Pope Francis amended official Catholic teaching to declare the death penalty "inadmissible" in all circumstances.
US Vice-President JD Vance expressed "shock" and "great sorrow" at the Pentagon's plans to execute Hasan, stating that the decision represents a "barbaric promotion of a culture of death." Vance criticized the method of execution, emphasizing that it distracts from the seriousness of Hasan's crimes and undermines the moral fabric of the nation. He also questioned whether the public execution of Hasan will actually take place.
President Trump has been a staunch supporter of the death penalty, with 30 executions carried out in the United States during the first nine months of 2026. The Pentagon confirmed that President Trump had approved the execution of Major Hasan.
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