Pope Leo XIV condemns death penalty in Rome amid US execution plan
Pope Leo XIV declared capital punishment inadmissible on Saturday in Rome. The statement followed a U.S. government announcement outlining plans to broadcast a firing squad execution.
The pontiff marked the World Day Against the Death Penalty in an online post. He cited Catholic teaching on capital punishment revised by Pope Francis. He stated that capital punishment attacks inherent human dignity.
“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 post concluded with the hashtag #NoDeathPenalty. It did not mention the scheduled firing squad execution directly. It also did not name a recent lethal injection in Tennessee.
The U.S. Defense Department announced execution plans on Thursday. Nidal Malik Hasan is scheduled to die by firing squad on Dec. 3 at Fort Hood. Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in a 2009 shooting at the base.
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin spoke directly about the American plan hours earlier. He called the decision unacceptable.
“The Church’s position is one of total opposition to the death penalty; it is incompatible with human dignity and serves as no deterrent…,” Parolin said in comments carried by Vatican News. “It is truly incomprehensible that anyone would want to use this system today , I don’t know for what purpose. It is certainly unacceptable to turn death into a spectacle; even if the person is guilty, of course, there are other methods.”
Francis changed official church teaching in 2018. He declared the death penalty inadmissible under all circumstances. Previously, the Catechism of the Catholic Church allowed the punishment to defend human lives against an unjust aggressor.
Earlier popes supported that older stance. St. John Paul II later urged an end to the practice. He said guilty individuals also deserve human dignity.
Leo visits prisons during his travels to share messages of hope and redemption. He spoke to detainees at Bata prison in Equatorial Guinea in April.
“If any of you fear being abandoned by everyone, know that God will never abandon you, and that the church will stand by your side,” Leo told inmates at the facility.
He is scheduled to visit a detention facility in Buenos Aires during a Latin America tour. Church leaders in the United States also responded to the federal announcement.
Archbishop Paul Coakley leads the U.S. bishops conference. He expressed shock and sorrow on Friday regarding the Pentagon plan.
“In no way can Hasan’s actions be condoned but this decision is a barbaric promotion of a culture of death and must be reconsidered,” he said in a statement Friday. “The public execution even of one who has done grave harm will only further undermine the moral fabric of our nation and be a blight on the conscience of its people.”
The Catechism of the Catholic Church serves as the official summary of Catholic doctrine. Papal social media channels routinely release statements during designated international observances.
Officials in Rome continue to monitor global criminal justice developments.
