Secretary of War Pete Hegseth‘s announcement that the execution by firing squad of former Army officer Nidal Hasan would be livestreamed for all to see was shocking even by the standards of the Trump administration.
Even repressive regimes like Iran and North Korea don’t actively livestream executions, but Hegseth (via The Guardian) said it’s important for the United States to do so: “We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public, because people need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things.”
It appears that Hegseth may have confirmed this too soon, as JD Vance went on to question whether this livestream would actually take place and confirmed that he wouldn’t watch it. Donald Trump was also apparently caught off guard, saying that he – not Hegseth – would decide whether this is appropriate.
“Do we really want to imitate the terrorists of this world?”
Now there are serious religious concerns around Hegseth’s plan. Archbishop Timothy Broglio, the archbishop who oversees the military’s Catholic community had some strong words for the Secretary of War. In a statement released on the Archdiocese for the Military Services website, he said:
“Do we really want to imitate the terrorists of this world and make a public spectacle of barbarically killing our adversaries? The crime committed by Nidal Malik Hasan was heinous, but does exposing the public to his execution serve any purpose? Has the potential moral injury, which the members of the firing squad might experience, been considered? Will the exposure of a live-stream to the young and impressionable during the 250th anniversary year of our independence be able to be repaired?”
He went on to add that doing this would crater the reputation of the US military and that it would be akin to behaving as terrorists:
“The US military generally enjoys a good reputation in the world. Is there really a value to throwing them in the same boat with terrorists by broadcasting the image of the execution of a man in a wheel chair to the whole world? Does this decision reflect the dignity of the human person?”
Archbishop Broglio concluded by comparing this to abortion and urged any Catholics ordered to be a part of the firing squad to ask to be excused on religious grounds:
I call upon all men and women of good will to ask that this decision be reconsidered and, at the very least, do what is possible to keep the exposure to the live-streaming of the proposed execution from the vision of the young and impressionable. As I would in the case of a procured abortion, I oblige any Catholics assigned to the firing squad to request to be excused from this action contrary to the teaching of the Church.”
Broglio’s opinion has been backed up by the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops. Bishop Daniel Garcia of Austin said (via Stars and Stripes), “True justice cannot be achieved through further violence or vengeance, and a public broadcast of this execution would make a spectacle of death.”
Pope Leo XIV himself also said on X:
“The death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person. The common good can be safeguarded and the requirements of justice can be met without recourse to capital punishment: 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.”
Those comments were not specifically about Hegseth’s livestreamed execution and were made on World Day Against the Death Penalty, though it cements the Catholic Church’s firm position that state executions – livestreamed or not – are not Godly.
Published: Oct 14, 2026 08:30 am