Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who oversees the Catholic Church's pastoral services to U.S. military personnel, has condemned the planned livestream of Nidal Hasan's execution by firing squad. Broglio also stated that any Catholic soldier assigned to participate in the execution should request to be excused from the duty, deeming it contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Hasan, an Army psychiatrist convicted of the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people, is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on December 3. Broglio presided over the funeral of Michael Grant Cahill, one of the civilians killed in the attack.
Broglio questioned the purpose of livestreaming Hasan's execution, asking if it serves any benefit. He further suggested that broadcasting the image of the execution of a man in a wheelchair could harm the U.S. military's global reputation, potentially placing them in the same category as terrorists.