Pope Leo decries death penalty as Hegseth's public execution plan sparks backlash

Pope Leo XIV has stated that the death penalty is "inadmissible" as it attacks the inviolability and dignity of a person. In a post on social media, the pontiff said that the common good can be safeguarded and justice met without recourse to capital punishment. He added that effective systems of detention have been developed that protect citizens while allowing those guilty of crimes the possibility of redemption.

The Pope's comments come as the US plans to livestream the execution by firing squad of Nidal Malik Hasan, a former Army Major convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others at the Fort Hood military base in 2009. According to The Hill and CBS News, Hasan is set to be executed on December 3. The plan to livestream the execution has drawn opposition from lawmakers, including some Republicans, and international observers, as reported by Investing.com.

The Catholic teaching on capital punishment, revised under Pope Francis, states that the death penalty is an attack on the inherent dignity of a human being. Pope Leo XIV's comments were made on the World Day Against the Death Penalty, and he did not directly refer to the planned execution or a recent botched lethal injection in Tennessee, which has reignited debate over the death penalty in the US.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Hill, Investing.com, Euronews, CBS News, Global News — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.