US military archbishop urges Catholic soldiers to refuse involvement in Army firing squad execution: news
13-10-2026
US Military Archbishop Urges Catholic Soldiers to Refuse Firing Squad Role
Archbishop Timothy Broglio, head of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, has called on Catholic service members to request recusal if ordered to participate in an upcoming U.S. Army firing squad execution.
Washington ExaminerThe directive addresses the scheduled capital punishment of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people during the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting.
The GuardianChurch Doctrine and Capital Punishment
Archbishop Broglio emphasized that participation in the execution conflicts directly with Catholic moral teaching. Following updates to the Catholic Catechism under Pope Francis, the Church holds that capital punishment is inadmissible in all circumstances because it attacks the inviolability and dignity of the person. Broglio instructed that Catholic personnel assigned to the firing squad detail should seek an exemption on grounds of conscience and faith.
Objections to Public Execution and Livestreaming
In addition to calling for soldiers to recuse themselves, Broglio strongly condemned plans to broadcast the execution. Defense officials announced that Hasan’s execution would be made public and livestreamed. Broglio argued that publicly displaying the lethal event degrades military standards, harms international perception, and serves no legitimate moral purpose, questioning the justification of broadcasting the execution of a paralyzed inmate.
The Guardian+ 1The archbishop’s intervention introduces significant religious and legal scrutiny into the military justice process as the Pentagon prepares for its first military execution in decades.