Pope Leo XIV calls death penalty inadmissible as U.S. plans livestream execution

The pope’s statement coincided with the Pentagon’s plan to stream the Dec. 3 execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan.

By Felo News Desk · Published Sat, 10 Oct 2026 23:19:32 GMT

Pope Leo XIV declared capital punishment "inadmissible" on World Day Against the Death Penalty, as the U.S. Defense Department announced it will livestream the firing‑squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan.

What happened

On Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, the pope posted on X quoting the revised Catholic teaching that the death penalty attacks human dignity. The post said the common good can be protected without capital punishment and that effective detention systems allow for redemption. The same day, the U.S. Defense Department confirmed that Hasan’s execution, scheduled for Dec. 3, 2026 at Fort Hood, Texas, will be streamed online.

What the reports add

The Toronto City News article notes that the pope did not refer specifically to the planned execution or the recent botched lethal‑injection of Christa Pike in Tennessee.
CBS News adds that the livestream decision has drawn fierce criticism and that the execution would be the first U.S. military execution since 1961 and the first public U.S. execution since 1937.
Both outlets report that Cardinal Pietro Parolin called the planned livestream "truly incomprehensible" and "unacceptable to turn death into a spectacle."
CBS News includes statements from Archbishop Paul Coakley, who expressed "shock" and "great sorrow" and called the plan a "barbaric promotion of a culture of death."
CBS News also records President Donald Trump saying he approves of Hasan’s execution, stating, "He will be killed. He will be, through firing squad."

What was said

"The common good can be safeguarded and the requirements of justice can be met without recourse to capital punishment,"

the pope wrote in his X post (toronto.citynews.ca; CBS News).

"Effective systems of detention have been developed that protect citizens while at the same time do not completely deprive those who are guilty of the possibility of redemption,"

the pope added (toronto.citynews.ca; CBS News).

"The planned livestreamed execution was truly incomprehensible and unacceptable to turn death into a spectacle,"

Cardinal Pietro Parolin said in comments carried by Vatican News (CBS News).

"In no way can Hasan's actions be condoned but this decision is a barbaric promotion of a culture of death and must be reconsidered,"

Archbishop Paul Coakley said in a statement (CBS News).

"He will be killed. He will be, through firing squad,"

President Donald Trump told reporters (CBS News).

How it came about

The pope’s statement follows his predecessor Pope Francis’s 2018 revision of the Church’s teaching on the death penalty. It also arrives amid renewed U.S. debate after the botched lethal‑injection of Christa Pike in Tennessee earlier this month, which Felo News covered on Oct. 8 (Christa Pike botched execution). The Pentagon’s livestream plan was first reported by Felo on Oct. 8 (Pentagon to livestream Fort Hood execution) and further detailed on Oct. 9 (US officials defend livestream). Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the livestream in interviews with Real America’s Voice and other outlets (Context Pack items 3, 4, 5).

Key facts

Pope Leo XIV declared the death penalty inadmissible on World Day Against the Death Penalty. (toronto.citynews.ca)
The U.S. Defense Department announced the firing‑squad execution of Nidal Hasan will be livestreamed on Dec. 3, 2026. (cbsnews.com)
Hasan was convicted for the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 and wounded 32. (toronto.citynews.ca)