Pope Leo XIV said Saturday that capital punishment is "inadmissible," as his home country prepares to livestream an execution by firing squad.

The American-born pope posted on X to mark the World Day Against the Death Penalty. He quoted Catholic teaching revised under Pope Francis, which says the death penalty attacks human dignity. "The common good can be safeguarded and the requirements of justice can be met without recourse to capital punishment," the post said. It ended with the hashtag #NoDeathPenalty.

The pope did not name any case. But his post came two days after the Defense Department said it would livestream the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan. The former Army major killed 13 people and wounded 32 at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009. His execution is set for Dec. 3. It would be the first U.S. military execution since 1961, CBS News reported.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's livestream plan has drawn backlash, including from some Republican lawmakers, The Hill reported. Vice President JD Vance said he will not watch the execution, Euronews reported. President Donald Trump said he will "ultimately make a decision" on the livestream.

The debate also follows Tennessee's botched lethal injection of Christa Pike on Sept. 30. Pike survived two doses of the drug pentobarbital. She was sent back to prison on Saturday.

Hours before the pope's post, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin called the livestream plan "unacceptable," saying it would "turn death into a spectacle," CBS News reported. Archbishop Paul Coakley, head of the U.S. bishops, called it "a barbaric promotion of a culture of death."

Leo, a Chicago native, has spoken against the death penalty before. Catholic teaching has opposed it in all cases since 2018.

What we know: Leo called the death penalty inadmissible without naming the Hasan case.
What we don't: whether the Pentagon will change its livestream plan.