Pope says death penalty ‘inadmissible’ as US plans to livestream execution

Pope Leo XIV has declared that the death penalty is “inadmissible” while his home country, the United States, announces plans to livestream an execution by firing squad. Marking World Day Against the Death Penalty on Saturday, the pope reiterated the Catholic Church’s teaching on capital punishment, writing on X that it was “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,” his post said.