Pope Leo XIV has condemned the death penalty as «inadmissible», arguing that it violates the inviolability and dignity of the human person and completely deprives condemned prisoners of the possibility of redemption. The pontiff made the statement in a message published across his nine X accounts in Spanish, English, Italian, French, German, Portuguese, Arabic, Polish, and Latin, adding the hashtag #NoDeathPenalty.
«The death penalty is inadmissible because it attacks the inviolability and dignity of the person», the American pope wrote. He further defended that «the common good can be protected and the requirements of justice safeguarded without resorting to capital punishment». This is possible, he explained, because «effective penitentiary systems have already been developed that protect citizens and, at the same time, do not completely deprive the guilty of the possibility of redeeming themselves».
The pope’s intervention coincided with the World Day Against the Death Penalty, observed annually on 10 October, joining a broad international campaign against capital punishment. Although he did not directly mention specific cases, his words landed in the middle of an intense debate in his home country, the United States, over the scheduled execution of former Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan.
Hasan was sentenced to death for killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in the 2009 mass shooting at the Fort Hood military base in Texas. His execution is set for 3 December and, according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, will take place at that same military base by firing squad and will be broadcast live. President Donald Trump has said the condemned former soldier «deserves it».
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has warned that the intention to execute a person publicly through a live broadcast could amount to torture and constitutes an absolutely prohibited act. The Vatican’s position, reiterated by Pope Leo XIV, aligns with the Catholic Church’s longstanding opposition to capital punishment, which it views as an attack on the inviolability of human life and a denial of the possibility of conversion and redemption.
By speaking out on the World Day Against the Death Penalty, the pope reinforced the Church’s call for penal systems that prioritize rehabilitation and the protection of society without resorting to executions. His message, delivered in nine languages, was clearly intended for a global audience, emphasizing that respect for human dignity must guide the actions of states and communities alike.