Archbishop Broglio calls Hasan firing squad plan a ‘public spectacle’ contrary to Church

Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, issued a statement on Oct. 12 opposing the planned livestreamed execution of Nidal Malik Hasan by firing squad. Broglio described the execution as a public spectacle of barbarically killing adversaries that goes against Church teaching.

The Archbishop, who has led the military archdiocese since 2008, urged people of good will to ask for a reconsideration of the decision. He also encouraged Catholics involved in the proceedings to disassociate from them. Broglio stated that any Catholics assigned to the firing squad should request to be excused from the action, comparing the obligation to how one would act in the case of a procured abortion.

The execution follows an approval by President Donald Trump for the death of Hasan, a former U.S. Army psychiatrist convicted of a 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, that killed 13 people and injured 32 others. Fort Hood falls under the pastoral jurisdiction of Broglio's archdiocese. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Oct. 8 that the execution is scheduled to take place at Fort Hood on Dec. 3 and will be made public for people to watch.