Pope Leo XIV has reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s opposition to the death penalty, saying it violates human dignity and is unnecessary to protect society.

Axar.az reports, citing Vatican News, that in a post on X, the Pope made the statement marking the World Day Against the Death Penalty.

“The death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person. The common good can be safeguarded and the requirements of justice can be met without recourse to capital punishment: effective systems of detention have been developed that protect citizens while at the same time do not completely deprive those who are guilty of the possibility of redemption,” the Pope wrote.

The Pope’s statement followed criticism from senior Catholic officials of the planned execution of Nidal Hasan, a former US Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. A military court sentenced him to death in 2013.

The Pentagon announced that Hasan’s execution by firing squad was scheduled for December 3, 2026, although further legal proceedings could delay it.

Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, also expressed “shock and great sorrow” over the decision and called for it to be reconsidered.