USCCB president condemns Pentagon plan to livestream execution

Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, denounced a Pentagon plan to livestream a scheduled execution as barbaric in a statement on Oct. 9. The plan involves making the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, a former U.S. Army psychiatrist, public via livestream.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said in an Oct. 8 interview that the execution will take place by firing squad at Fort Hood, Texas, on Dec. 3. Hegseth stated that the department will ensure the event is public so people can watch it. President Donald Trump recently approved the execution of Hasan, who was convicted for a 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood that killed 13 people and injured 32 others.

Archbishop Coakley of Oklahoma City said he learned of the plans with shock and great sorrow. While noting that Hasan's actions cannot be condoned, the archbishop called for the decision to be reconsidered, stating that a public execution promotes a culture of death and undermines the moral fabric of the nation.