Pope Leo calls death penalty “inadmissible” as U.S. plans to livestream Fort Hood execution

October 10, 2026 / 11:28 AM EDT / CBS/AP

Pope Leo XIV declared that capital punishment is "inadmissible" as the United States plans to livestream an execution by firing squad.

The American pope, in a post on X marking the World Day Against the Death Penalty, quoted the revised Catholic teaching on capital punishment ushered in by his predecessor, Pope Francis. The Catholic teaching states that capital punishment attacks the inherent dignity of a human being.

"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 U.S. Defense Department announced Thursday that the firing squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, convicted of a 2009 shooting at the Fort Hood military base, will be livestreamed. Hasan, scheduled to be executed at Fort Hood on Dec. 3, was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others. It would be the first U.S. military execution since 1961.

The decision to livestream the execution has drawn fierce…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/world/