Archbishop Broglio tells Catholic soldiers to refuse Hasan firing squad

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who oversees Catholic pastoral services for US military members, issued a statement on 12 October 2026 obliging any Catholic soldier assigned to Nidal Hasan's firing squad to request exemption from the duty. Hasan, an army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009, is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on 3 December. Broglio called the assignment contrary to Catholic Church teaching.theguardian.com+1

Broglio's statement matters because it places a formal religious obligation on Catholic soldiers at a moment when the Pentagon has not yet said how it will select firing squad members. US Army regulations permit soldiers to request religious accommodations, giving Broglio's directive a concrete procedural path. The statement also joins a broader Catholic leadership response to the planned execution, positioning the objection as one of church teaching rather than personal opinion on the death penalty.aljazeera.com

What the statement demands

Hasan, now 56, was shot by police during the 2009 attack and uses a wheelchair. He is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on 3 December. The last US military execution by firing squad was of Eddie Slovik in 1945, who was accused of desertion and was the only US soldier to have such a sentence carried out for abandoning his post. A government execution has never been broadcast or livestreamed, according to death penalty experts cited in the reporting.usatoday.com

Broglio questioned whether broadcasting the execution serves any purpose, asking: "was heinous, but does exposing the public to his execution serve any purpose?" He also asked whether the US wants to "imitate the terrorists of this world and make a public spectacle of barbarically killing our adversaries." Broglio recalled that he presided over the funeral of Michael Grant Cahill, the only civilian killed in the 2009 Fort Hood attack.

Church leadership opposition

The backlash has extended beyond church leaders. Hegseth's announcement drew criticism from Republican lawmakers in Congress, religious leaders and international observers. Vice President JD Vance, a convert to Catholicism, said that if the execution is livestreamed he would not watch it. Broglio's statement was issued shortly after he met Pope Leo in Rome on 12 October.

What remains undecided

The Army has not said how it intends to select members of the firing squad, leaving open whether Broglio's directive will be tested by an actual assignment. The execution remains scheduled for 3 December, and Trump's decision on whether the livestream proceeds is still pending as of 12 October 2026.