US Army Archbishop: Catholic soldiers should not participate in firing squads
US Army Archbishop Timothy Broglio urged Catholic soldiers to seek exemption from firing squad duties.
Translated by Qiyas from الجريدة — Original source
Archbishop of the U.S. Army Timothy Broglio has urged Catholic soldiers assigned to U.S. Army execution teams to seek exemption from this duty, deeming it incompatible with Church teachings. He also condemned the plan to broadcast the execution of Nidal Hasan, the suspect accused of killing 13 people at a military base in 2009, live online.
Hasan, a military psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people in 2009 at Fort Hood, Texas, is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on December 3.
Broglio recalled that he presided over the funeral of Michael Grant Cahill, the only civilian killed in the attack, and questioned, “Hasan’s crime was heinous, but does broadcasting his execution to the public serve any purpose?”
