(Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, executive director of Catholic Mobilizing Network, issues the following reaction on Oct. 9, 2026 to the Department of War’s announcement regarding the public execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan.)
Beyond the fact that executions do not deter crime or increase safety, it’s appalling that a public official would try to introduce it as a livestream arcade. It’s been almost a century since our country’s last public execution, and we must not fall into the abyss of such a vengeful practice.
We undermine our own humanity when we treat another person’s death as something to watch, celebrate, or use for entertainment. It is remiscient of the horrors of lynching in our nation’s past, and would be a grotesque display of hatred witnessed in the public executions of some authoritarian countries today.
And as Pope Leo XIV said recently, “The greatness of a civilization is not measured by its material achievements, but by the way it cares for, protects, and upholds the human person.”
With every execution, we violate human dignity because every person is created in the image of God – no matter the harm they have caused or suffered. The Church instructs us to not seek cruel retribution, but a justice that holds people accountable without perpetuating the cycle of death.
What Mr. Hasan did at Fort Hood in 2009 ought not be condoned in any way. He inflicted horrible pain and caused terrifying trauma in killing 13, injuring 32, and impacting so many more. But we must not be blinded by bloodlust. The macabre spectacle proposed by Secretary Hegseth is not what our Lord asks of us – it will neither honor victims nor bring healing. "See that no one returns evil for evil; rather, always seek what is good for each other and for all." (1 Thessalonians 5:15)
The timing of this announcement is particularly bleak: just a week after a woman survived a botched execution that horrified the world; days before the World Day Against the Death Penalty; and in October when American Catholics celebrate Respect Life Month. This is a time when we should be talking about dismantling the culture of death, not promoting it.
(Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Catholic Mobilizing Network is a national organization that mobilizes Catholics and people of goodwill to end the death penalty, advance justice solutions in alignment with Catholic values and promote healing through restorative justice approaches and practices. For more information and to join the movement, visit catholicsmobilizing.org.)
