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Vatican condemns Pentagon plan to livestream Fort Hood shooter's execution

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Nidal Hasan photographed in 2007 at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Hasan was a United States Army captain at the time of the photo.
Image credit: Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

In brief

The Vatican's Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, has called it "unacceptable to turn death into a spectacle," criticizing the plan to livestream the firing-squad execution of former Army Major Nidal Hasan on December 3. The Holy See says it plans to issue a formal statement, and Parolin noted that the US Catholic bishops' conference has also spoken out on the issue.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's Secretary of State, said on October 9 that it is "truly incomprehensible" that anyone would want to broadcast an execution publicly in the present day, according to Vatican News. Parolin added that it is "certainly unacceptable to turn death into a spectacle," a remark aimed at the plan to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army major convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting.

What the Pentagon announced

Hasan is scheduled to be executed by firing squad at Fort Hood, Texas, on Thursday, December 3, 2026, at 1 p.m. Central Time, Military Times reported. According to Military Times, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth recommended the method, and President Donald Trump approved the death sentence on October 2.

If carried out as announced, it would be the US military's first execution since 1961 and the Army's first since 1945, Military Times reported. Al Jazeera reported that the Army plans to make the execution publicly viewable via livestream.

The 2009 attack and conviction

Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, opened fire at a Fort Hood deployment-processing center on November 5, 2009, killing 13 people — including a pregnant soldier — and wounding 32 others, Military Times reported. At his 2013 court-martial he admitted to the shooting and said he acted in support of the Taliban. A military jury convicted him and recommended the death penalty.

Vatican's position

Parolin restated the Catholic Church's institutional opposition to capital punishment, saying "the Church's position is one of total opposition to the death penalty. It is incompatible with human dignity and does not serve as a deterrent," per Vatican News. He noted that Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, had already spoken on the issue, and said the Holy See intends to issue its own formal statement on the matter.

It is certainly unacceptable to turn death into a spectacle.

— Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State

Legal and political reactions in the US

The livestream plan has also drawn objections inside the United States. Human rights lawyer Clive Stafford Smith told Al Jazeera that broadcasting the execution could violate US rules barring minors from witnessing executions, since a public livestream cannot restrict who watches it, and could also run afoul of international standards against degrading punishment under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy called the plan "medieval" and compared it to executions carried out by ISIS, while Amnesty International said the decision showed "appalling disregard for human dignity," according to Al Jazeera's reporting.

Historical context

Public executions are exceptionally rare in the United States. Al Jazeera reported that the last one took place on August 14, 1936, when Rainey Bethea was hanged in Kentucky before a crowd. Executions since then have typically been witnessed only by a small number of officials, journalists and victims' relatives.

What is still unknown

The exact format and platform for the planned livestream had not been detailed in the sources reviewed, nor had the Vatican's promised formal statement been published as of this report. It also remains unclear how authorities intend to address the legal concerns raised about minors' access to the broadcast.

Questions

Who is Nidal Hasan?
He is a former US Army major and psychiatrist who killed 13 people and wounded 32 others in a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. He was convicted at a 2013 court-martial and sentenced to death.
When and how will the execution take place?
According to the Army's announcement, Hasan is scheduled to be executed by firing squad at Fort Hood on December 3, 2026, at 1 p.m. Central Time, pending the process going forward as ordered.
Why is the Pentagon livestreaming it?
The Army plans to make the execution public via livestream, according to Al Jazeera's reporting. Officials have not detailed the exact streaming format, and the plan has drawn criticism from the Vatican and human rights groups.
What did the Vatican say?
Cardinal Pietro Parolin said it is unacceptable to "turn death into a spectacle" and restated the Catholic Church's total opposition to the death penalty, per Vatican News.
Are there legal objections to the livestream?
Yes. A human rights lawyer cited by Al Jazeera said a public livestream could violate rules against minors witnessing executions and international standards against degrading punishment.

How the world is telling it

Sources

  1. Vatican News (IT) — Parolin, pena di morte Usa: inaccettabile la spettacolarizzazione della morte
  2. Vatican News (EN) — Cardinal Parolin on US public execution: Death must not be turned into a spectacle
  3. Military Times — Army sets date, location for execution of Nidal Malik Hasan
  4. Al Jazeera — US to livestream Fort Hood shooter's execution: Is that legal?

This piece was prepared with artificial intelligence and passed an automated source check before publication. If you see an error, ask for a correction. Request a correction or reply · How we make this

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