Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s announcement of the execution by firing squad of Fort Hood gunman Nidal Malik Hasan continues to fuel controversy. Former US Army Major Hasan, convicted of killing 13 people and wounding another 32, is expected to be put to death in a live-streamed execution, most likely on 3 December.
Pope Leo XIV has also intervened in the debate, without commenting directly on the case. Marking the World Day Against the Death Penalty on 10 October, he declared on Saturday that capital punishment is “inadmissible”.