Pope says death penalty ‘inadmissible’ as US plans to livestream execution

Pope Leo XIV has declared the death penalty to be "inadmissible," as his home country, the United States, plans to livestream an execution by firing squad. Writing on X on the World Day Against the Death Penalty, the pope reiterated the Catholic Church's stance on capital punishment, stating it is "inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person."

The leader of the Catholic Church believes that the common good can be safeguarded and justice met without resorting to capital punishment, as effective systems of detention exist to protect citizens and prevent criminals from being completely deprived of redemption. This announcement follows days after US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that Nidal Malik Hasan's execution, for killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood military base, would be livestreamed.

While Pope Leo did not specifically reference the planned execution or the botched execution attempt on Christa Pike in Tennessee, his post came hours after Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin called the livestreaming plan "unacceptable." Pope Francis first amended official Catholic teaching to declare capital punishment "inadmissible" in all circumstances in 2018.