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Pope Leo XIV Rejects Death Penalty
Pope Leo XIV calls death penalty an attack on human dignity, urging alternatives to capital punishment.
In brief
Pope Leo XIV calls death penalty an attack on human dignity, urging alternatives to capital punishment. Pope Leo XIV states death penalty is inadmissible as it violates human dignity and can be replaced with effective detention systems. Originally reported by Vaticannews.
Pope Leo XIV's stance
Pope Leo XIV rejects death penalty as an attack on human dignity and inviolability.
“The death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.”
World Day Against Death Penalty
Pope Leo XIV posts on World Day Against Death Penalty about alternatives to capital punishment.
Nidal Hassan case
Nidal Hassan, convicted of killing 13 and wounding 32 at Fort Hood in 2009, faces execution by firing squad in December 2026.
Cardinal Parolin's response
Cardinal Parolin calls livestreamed execution of Nidal Hassan unacceptable and a spectacle.
“It is truly incomprehensible that anyone would want to use this method in this day and age.”
Archbishop Coakley's warning
Archbishop Coakley urges reconsideration of Nidal Hassan's execution, calling it a barbaric promotion of death culture.
“In no way can Hassan’s actions be condoned, but this decision is a barbaric promotion of a culture of death.”
The takeaway
Pope Leo XIV states death penalty is inadmissible as it violates human dignity and can be replaced with effective detention systems.




