A new Holy See rebuke could be inbound from the Oval Office after plans for Nidal Hasan’s public execution found Pope Leo XIV opining on the “inadmissible.”
Since his pontificate began, the first American pope has repeatedly found himself at odds with President Donald Trump’s administration much to the delight of nominal Catholic leftists. After a botched execution in Tennessee and reported plans for the Fort Hood jihadist to face a firing squad, the pontiff’s issued a statement in opposition to the death penalty as an “attack on … dignity.”
Paraphrasing the Catechism of the Catholic Church as updated by his predecessor, Pope Francis, Pope Leo XIV asserted, “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. #NoDeathPenalty”
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. #NoDeathPenalty
— Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex) October 10, 2026
Previously, the Catechism under Pope Saint John Paul II indicated “traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.”
Along with the pope, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who has held the position of Vatican secretary of state since the beginning of Francis’ papacy — during which he was responsible for foreign policy stances and the controversial agreement with China giving the communist government veto power over the installment of bishops — asserted Friday, “It is truly incomprehensible that anyone would want to use this method in this day and age. I do not know for what purpose. It is certainly unacceptable to turn death into a spectacle. However guilty the person may be, there are other ways.”
At the same time, former Vice President Kamala Harris’ repurposed X account attempted to leverage past remarks from His Holiness outside Castel Gandalfo.
Amid controversy over Cardinal Blase Cupich’s attempt to honor Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin for a lifetime achievement award from the Archdiocese of Chicago despite his longtime advocacy for baby murder, the pope told reporters in October 2025, “Someone who says ‘I’m against abortion but says I’m in favor of the death penalty’ is not really pro-life. Someone who says that ‘I’m against abortion, but I’m in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States,’ I don’t know if that’s pro-life.”
Pope Leo XIV: Someone who says ‘I’m against abortion’ but says ‘I’m in favor of the death penalty’ is not really pro-life. Someone who says that ‘I’m against abortion but I’m in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants who are in the United States,’ I don’t know if that’s pro-life.
— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) October 9, 2026
As was previously reported, the president stated that he “absolutely” approved of the execution of Hasan for the 2009 killing of 14, including an unborn baby, and wounding of 32 others. Regarding plans to livestream the former U.S. Army major’s firing squad, Trump contended the decision by the Department of War is intended to “set an example.”
That same logic was advanced by other Christians as First Baptist Dallas pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress expressed, “I support the Pentagon’s decision to livestream the execution of mass-murderer Nidal Hassan [sic]. Capital punishment is commanded by God in Genesis 9:6 to remind people of the sanctity of human life. The more people that can see that truth illustrated through a public execution, the better.”
I support the Pentagon’s decision to livestream the execution of mass-murderer Nidal Hassan.
Capital punishment is commanded by God in Genesis 9:6 to remind people of the sanctity of human life. The more people that can see that truth illustrated through a public execution, the better.
@DeptofWar @PeteHegseth
— Dr. Robert Jeffress (@robertjeffress) October 9, 2026
Likewise, journalist Megan Basham cited another example from the Bible in favor of the death penalty, writing on X, “All throughout the Old Testament, God demands public executions for capital crimes. And in Romans 13 (that is the New Testament) we are told that the government is designed to terrorize evil doers. THAT is its fundamental purpose. To maintain order and restrain evil.”
“I believe our culture has been degraded by hiding the means of that restraint away,” she went on. “I’m not saying we make it a circus, but bearing public witness to the wages of evil acts grounds a culture morally. The public execution of Nidal Hasan perfectly accords with that.”
All throughout the Old Testament, God demands public executions for capital crimes. And in Romans 13 (that is the New Testament) we are told that the government is designed to terrorize evil doers. THAT is its fundamental purpose. To maintain order and restrain evil.
I believe our culture has been degraded by hiding the means of that restraint away. I’m not saying we make it a circus, but bearing public witness to the wages of evil acts grounds a culture morally. The public execution of Nidal Hasan perfectly accords with that.
— Megan Basham (@megbasham) October 9, 2026
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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