‘Barbaric’: Catholic Leader Condemns Hegseth’s Plan for Public Execution

Pete Hegseth announced this week that, like a scaffold executioner before a crowd of medieval peasants, he intends to turn the sentence of capital punishment into propagandic entertainment for the masses. Not everyone is cheering.

The secretary of defense revealed in a Thursday interview that the Pentagon will livestream the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan. A former United States Army major, Hasan was convicted in court martial proceedings of murdering 13 individuals and attempting to murder 32 others in the 2009 mass shooting at the Fort Hood army base. Hasan is, by order of the Trump administration, set to be executed by firing squad on December 3. It will be the first time the military has executed someone since 1961, and — if Hegseth’s plan bears out — the first public American execution in nearly a century.

Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops condemned the plan in a statement . “In no way can Hassan’s actions be condoned but this decision is a barbaric promotion of a culture of death and must be reconsidered. The word of God exhorts us: ‘do not repay anyone evil for evil’ (Romans 12:17). 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.”

Lawmakers in Congress — of both parties — rejected the plan as a potentially illegal abandonment of the laws and principles of impartial, humane justice that are supposed to undergird the criminal justice system.

“Hasan should face the death penalty , but making his execution public and streaming it? Beyond disgusting,” wrote Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). “Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do. It should not be happening in America.”

The suggestion of a public execution drew comparisons to the types of atrocities broadcast by terror groups in the early 2000s. Drew Harwell, a tech and society reporter at The Washington Post , noted that “Hegseth’s execution stream mirrors the U.S. military’s traditional description of ISIS propaganda: broadcast killings designed to send a message, strike fear and create a social media spectacle.” Editor’s picks The 250 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century So Far The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century

Joe Kent, former director of the United States National Counterterrorism Center — and a hardline conservative and veteran — conceded that he believed Hasan deserved the death penalty, and that execution by firing squad was merciful given his crimes.

“But broadcasting his execution is beneath the dignity & decency of our nation,” he wrote on social media . “Americans will use violence if and when justified, but we do not rejoice in it. Kill him swiftly & silently.