Pope Leo XIV condemns death penalty in Rome amid US execution plans

Pope Leo XIV declared capital punishment inadmissible Saturday in Rome. The message targeted global policies while the United States prepared an execution. He posted the statement on X under his official handle, @Pontifex. The post marked World Day Against the Death Penalty.

The post quoted revised Catholic teaching introduced by Pope Francis. The text argued that capital punishment attacks inherent human dignity.

“The common good can be safeguarded and the requirements of justice can be met without recourse to capital punishment,” read the post under Leo’s official handle, @Pontifex. “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 post ended with the hashtag #NoDeathPenalty. Leo made no specific reference to the planned United States execution. He also omitted mention of a previous botched lethal injection in Tennessee.

The U.S. Defense Department announced Thursday that officials will livestream the firing squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan. Hasan was convicted of a 2009 shooting at the Fort Hood military base. He killed 13 people and wounded 32 others. Officials scheduled his execution at Fort Hood for Dec. 3.

Hours before Leo posted, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin denounced the public execution plan from Rome. He called the broadcast unacceptable.

“The Church’s position is one of total opposition to the death penalty; it is incompatible with human dignity and serves as no deterrent…,” Parolin said in comments carried by Vatican News. “It is truly incomprehensible that anyone would want to use this system today , I don’t know for what purpose. It is certainly unacceptable to turn death into a spectacle; even if the person is guilty, of course, there are other methods.”

In 2018, Pope Francis amended the Catechism of the Catholic Church. He declared capital punishment inadmissible in all circumstances. Previously, the compendium did not exclude execution if it was the only defense against unjust aggressors. Past popes upheld that position. St. John Paul II had urged an end to the practice.

Visiting prisons remains central to Leo’s travel. In April, he visited the Bata prison in Equatorial Guinea. He told inmates that God would never abandon them. He is scheduled to visit a prison in Buenos Aires on a tour through Latin America.

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops head Archbishop Paul Coakley released a statement Friday opposing the military plan. He expressed shock and great sorrow over the broadcast.

“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,” he said in a statement Friday. “The public execution even of one who has done grave harm will only further undermine the moral fabric of our nation and be a blight on the conscience of its people.”

The Holy See maintains diplomatic relations and directs global doctrine for the Roman Catholic Church from Rome. Catholic catechism revisions establish universal moral instructions for worldwide dioceses and clergy members.

Hasan remains in military custody awaiting his December execution date.