National Defense

Evangelicals Join Catholics In Condemning Pentagon’s Plan To Livestream Fort Hood Killer’s Execution

(Photo by Department of War)

A leading evangelical organization joined prominent Catholic leaders in condemning the Pentagon’s plans to publicly livestream the firing squad execution of convicted Fort Hood mass shooter Nidal Hasan.

The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) warned that broadcasting Hasan’s death risks turning military justice into a public spectacle, according to a statement provided to the Daily Caller News Foundation. The criticism follows objections from Catholic bishops, including the archbishop responsible for overseeing the spiritual care of Catholic U.S. military personnel.

“A live-streamed execution by firing squad risks turning one of the state’s most solemn responsibilities into a public spectacle, promoting a culture of death, rather than a culture that upholds the dignity of every human being,” NAE President Walter Kim told the DCNF in a statement provided through the organization.

“We do not and cannot condone Nidal Malik Hasan’s horrific actions, which killed 13 people and injured many others. We affirm the need for justice,” Kim told the DCNF.

Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, murdered 13 people and wounded 32 others during his Nov. 5, 2009, shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas. He is scheduled to be executed by firing squad Dec. 3 at 1 p.m. Central Time, according to the U.S. Army.

The DCNF exclusively reported in September 2025 that the Pentagon was preparing to seek President Donald Trump’s final approval to execute Hasan, citing a Department of War official. The official revealed that Hasan’s execution paperwork was already moving through the military bureaucracy toward presidential review.

The White House did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment. The Pentagon declined to comment.

Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, similarly condemned the government’s decision to broadcast the execution, calling it a “barbaric promotion of a culture of death” that must be reconsidered, according to an Oct. 9 statement.

Coakley acknowledged the severity of Hasan’s crimes but warned that publicly displaying his death would damage the nation’s moral standing, according to the conference.

The Apostolic Nunciature of the United States, the Vatican’s diplomatic mission in Washington, referred the DCNF to the Vatican press office, which could not provide a comment in time for publication.

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who oversees Catholic pastoral services for U.S. military personnel, went further Monday by urging Catholic soldiers assigned to Hasan’s firing squad to request exemptions from participating.

“I oblige any Catholics assigned to the firing squad to request to be excused,” Broglio said, arguing that participation would contradict Catholic Church teachings, according to the Archdiocese for the Military Services.

Broglio also questioned whether broadcasting the execution would accomplish anything beyond exposing the public to violence. He warned that the spectacle could cause psychological harm to participating soldiers and damage the military’s international reputation, according to the archdiocese.

The archbishop has a personal connection to the Fort Hood massacre, having presided over the funeral of Michael Grant Cahill, the only civilian killed in Hasan’s attack, according to The Associated Press.

President Donald Trump approved Hasan’s death sentence on Oct. 2 following a recommendation from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, according to the Army.

Hegseth subsequently announced that Americans would be able to watch Hasan’s execution, arguing that the public should witness the consequences of his actions.

The Pentagon later confirmed that the execution would be livestreamed, marking an unprecedented public broadcast of an American military execution, Reuters reported, citing a Department of War official.

The execution would mark the first carried out by the U.S. military since 1961, when Army Pvt. John Bennett was hanged at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

The Pentagon was already preparing to seek Trump’s approval for Hasan’s execution in September 2025. Hegseth said at the time that he was “100 percent committed” to carrying out Hasan’s death sentence.