Archbishop urges Catholic troops to seek firing squad exemption

Archbishop Timothy Broglio urged Catholic service members assigned to the firing squad for Nidal Hasan’s scheduled execution to request exemption, saying participation would violate Church teaching. He also condemned plans to livestream the execution, whose broadcast remains undecided by President Donald Trump. Broglio issued his statement Monday, October 12, as the U.S. military prepared for Hasan’s execution by firing squad on December 3. Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, was convicted of killing 13 people in a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. He was shot by police during his arrest and uses a wheelchair, according to the reports. Broglio, who oversees pastoral care for Catholics in the U.S. armed forces, questioned whether showing the execution publicly would serve a purpose. He warned that broadcasting it could associate the military with terrorist groups that publicize executions and raised concerns about the effect on young viewers and service members. Those were his stated concerns, not established outcomes of a broadcast. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the livestream plan last week.