Pope Leo condemns death penalty as US military weighs execution livestream

Pope Leo renewed his opposition to the death penalty on Oct.

10, saying it violates human dignity and denies people the chance for redemption.

His comments came days after Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon planned to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan.

Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, killed 13 people at the Fort Hood military base in Texas in 2009.

He is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on Dec.

3, which would be the US military’s first firing-squad execution since 1945.

The livestream plan has drawn opposition from lawmakers, religious leaders and international observers.

President Donald Trump has not decided whether to allow the broadcast, and Vice-President J.D. Vance has questioned whether it will go ahead.

The plan comes amid renewed debate in the United States over capital punishment after a botched lethal injection in Tennessee last week.}