The head of Catholic ministry to the U.S. military is objecting to plans to broadcast the execution of Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan and is advising Catholic soldiers not to take part in it, Politico reported on Monday.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the public execution plan last week, which triggered widespread controversy, as it would be the first military execution since the 1960s and the first public execution of any kind in the U.S. since 1936.
Archbishop Timothy Broglio said in a Monday statement that any Catholic soldier picked for the firing squad should request to be excused, because the duty conflicts with church teaching. Hasan is set to be executed by firing squad on December 3 for the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people. Broglio said he joins other Catholic leaders in opposing both the death penalty and the livestream.
He noted that he led the funeral for Michael Grant Cahill, the lone civilian among the dead, and acknowledged the gravity of the crime. But he questioned the broadcast.
“Does exposing the public to his execution serve any purpose?” Broglio asked.
Broglio also cautioned that televising the execution could damage how the world views the American military, arguing it would link troops to terrorists by showing a man in a wheelchair being killed.
Broglio is not alone; even a number of Republican lawmakers have expressed disapproval of the public execution plan, including Sen. John Curtis (R-UT), and even Vice President J.D. Vance said he doesn't want to watch it. President Donald Trump, however has gotten behind the plan.