US archbishop says Catholics in army should not participate in firing squad

United States Archbishop Timothy Broglio has urged Catholics who are members of the country’s armed forces not to take part in a planned public execution by firing squad, saying that it violates the teachings of the church.

Broglio released a strongly worded statement on Monday raising a series of concerns about the US military’s plan to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, a former army major who killed 13 people during a shooting attack at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009.

“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 said.

He also asked whether the US wants to “imitate the terrorists of this world and make a public spectacle of barbarically killing our adversaries”.

The plan to livestream the execution on December 3 was announced last week by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who characterised the spectacle as deterrence.

“We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public, because people need to understand that there are serious consequences for these types of things,” Hegseth told the right-wing media outlet Real America’s Voice.

But the proposal has sparked backlash from lawmakers , rights groups and critics who warn that a publicly broadcast killing is not only unethical but could also be used as anti-US propaganda.

Hasan, now aged 56, was shot by the police during the 2009 Fort Hood attack and is now wheelchair-bound. Critics fear livestreaming Hasan’s death could turn him into a symbol for armed groups that may be hostile to the US.