Archbishop Timothy Broglio told Catholic soldiers to ask for an excuse from the firing squad. This order comes as the Army plans to execute Nidal Hasan on December 3. The plan includes a live stream of the event at Fort Hood. Broglio says this action goes against church rules. He spoke on Monday about the upcoming execution.
The Pentagon wants to broadcast the death of the Fort Hood shooter. Hasan killed 13 people and wounded 32 others in 2009. He is now 56 and uses a wheelchair. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wants the execution to match the time and place of the attack. He believes showing it will stop others from doing harm. The Army says this will be the first firing squad execution since 1945. It is also the first military execution since 1961.
Broglio leads all pastoral services for Catholics in the U.S. military. According to him, he oversaw the burial of Michael Grant Cahill, who was the sole civilian casualty in the assault. He expressed deep sorrow for the families. But he drew a hard line on the method of death. “As I would in the case of a procured abortion, I oblige any Catholics assigned to the firing squad to request to be excused from this action contrary to the teaching of the Church,” he said. He noted that army rules allow soldiers to seek religious exemptions.
Broglio questioned the goal of the public broadcast. He questioned whether the government intended to copy the terrorists of this world and create a public display of brutally murdering our enemies. The New York Post reported that he asked if exposing the public to the execution serves any purpose. He said Hasan’s crime was heinous. Yet he worries about the message sent by showing it to the world.
USCCB President Condemns Plans for Livestream of Fort Hood Shooter’s Execution as ‘a Barbaric Promotion of a Culture of Death’
— U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (@USCCB) October 9, 2026
Other leaders in the church agree with Broglio. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops spoke out days earlier. Their statement claimed that the live broadcast would erode the moral foundation of our nation and stain the conscience of its citizens. Per Breitbart, Archbishop Paul Coakley expressed “shock” and “great sorrow” over the plan. He called the decision a “barbaric promotion of a culture of death.” He urged the U.S. to reconsider the method.
Broglio also worried about the young people seeing the video. He called on people of good will to ask that the decision be reconsidered. He said they should keep the live stream from the “vision of the young and impressionable.” He noted that the U.S. military usually has a good reputation. He asked if there is value in putting soldiers in the same boat as terrorists by showing the image of a man in a wheelchair being killed.
The execution is set for 1 p.m. CST on December 3 at Fort Hood. It is unclear how the military will pick the soldiers for the squad. Army regulations do allow for religious accommodations. The government has never broadcast a federal execution before. This plan has drawn backlash from many political and religious leaders. The question now is how many soldiers will follow the Archbishop’s request to step aside.
