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As Pope Leo XIV undergoes surgery at Rome's Gemelli Hospital, one figure has taken on particular prominence in recent hours: Dr. Luigi Carbone, who is responsible for coordinating the pontiff's medical care and is one of his closest advisers on health matters.

Carbone was among the doctors who welcomed Leo XIV when he arrived at the hospital in an armored Ford sedan.

Carbone has professional ties to the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital, one of Italy's leading medical centers and the hospital traditionally used to treat popes. His career has been particularly associated with emergency medicine and emergency services, fields in which rapid diagnosis and the ability to intervene immediately are essential.

He currently serves as director of the Vatican City State's Directorate of Health and Hygiene, the agency responsible for providing medical care not only to the pope but also to employees and residents of the tiny state.

The directorate operates medical facilities and diagnostic equipment that allow for regular checkups, specialized examinations, and the coordination of medical care when necessary.

A role rooted in centuries of tradition

Carbone's position recalls the historic role of the "archiatra pontificio," or personal physician to the pope. Although the traditional title is no longer formally used, the Italian doctor performs similar functions as one of the principal officials responsible for the pontiff's health, coordinating the work of the physicians, nurses, and specialists who care for him.

His duties include ensuring continuity of treatment, arranging medical procedures when necessary, and coordinating healthcare resources according to the pope's needs.

It is a particularly delicate responsibility because it requires balancing clinical care with the demands of the Petrine ministry.

Accompanying the pope on apostolic journeys

The papal physician's responsibilities extend beyond the Vatican. Carbone regularly accompanies Leo XIV on international apostolic journeys, working with nursing staff to oversee medical preparations for each trip.

Before each journey, factors such as travel time, the intensity of the schedule, and the availability of medical facilities in the countries being visited are assessed.

The papal aircraft also carries medical equipment that allows health checks to be performed and provides for a response to possible emergencies until the pontiff can be transferred to a specialized hospital.

Such planning requires constant coordination with local healthcare systems, as well as considerable discretion, to ensure that any medical emergency can be addressed without disrupting the pope's pastoral and institutional commitments.

The connection to Gemelli Hospital

Carbone's presence takes on particular significance at Gemelli Hospital, which has served for decades as the principal medical center for popes.

The relationship between the Rome hospital and the papacy was strengthened especially during the pontificate of St. John Paul II, who was hospitalized there on several occasions.

When a pope is hospitalized, his regular medical team works alongside Gemelli specialists to ensure continuity of care and facilitate the exchange of clinical information.

This arrangement reflects the evolution of papal healthcare, which has shifted from relying primarily on physicians attached to the Apostolic Palace to drawing on the resources of major, highly specialized hospitals.

This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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As Pope Leo XIV undergoes lung surgery and recovers at Gemelli Hospital this week in Rome, the faithful can turn to the intercession of a 15th-century Franciscan friar who is the patron saint of lung diseases and respiratory illnesses.

St. Bernardine of Siena, known as "the Apostle of Italy" for his efforts to revive the country's Catholic faith in the 1400s, was known to have overcome a weak voice and severe respiratory/throat issues early in his life, while also caring for plague victims and the hospitalized.

Born to upper-class parents in the Italian republic of Siena during 1380, Bernardine Albizeschi soon suffered misfortune when he lost his mother at the age of 3 and his father four years later. His aunt Diana cared for him afterward, teaching him to seek consolation and security by trusting in God.

Even at a young age, Bernardine demonstrated a remarkable concern for the poor as an outgrowth of his love for God. Having become accustomed to fasting, he preferred at times to go without any food in order to help someone in greater need. From the ages of 11 to 17 he focused on his studies, developing the eloquence and dedication that would serve his future work as an evangelist.

Before becoming a preacher, however, Bernardine spent several years ministering to the sick and dying. He enrolled in a religious association that served at a hospital in the town of Scala and applied himself to this work from 1397 to 1400.

During that time, a severe plague broke out in Siena, causing a crisis that would eventually lead to the young man taking charge of the entire hospital. Inside its walls, up to 20 people were dying each day from an illness that also killed many of the hospital workers. The staff was decimated and new victims were coming in constantly.

Bernardine persuaded 12 young men to help him continue the work of the hospital, which he took over for a period of four months. Although the plague did not infect him, the exhausting work left him weak and he contracted a different sickness that kept him in bed for four months.

After recovering, he spent over a year caring for his aunt Bartholomaea before her death. Then the 22-year-old Bernardine moved to a small house outside the city, where he began to discern God's will for his future through prayer and fasting.

He eventually chose to join the Franciscans of the Strict Observance in 1403, embracing an austere life focused on poverty and humility. During this time, while praying before a crucifix, Bernardine heard Christ say to him: "My son, behold me hanging upon a cross. If you love me, or desire to imitate me, be also fastened naked to your cross and follow me. Thus you will assuredly find me."

After Bernardine was ordained a priest, his superiors commissioned him to preach as a missionary to the Italians who were falling away from their Catholic faith. The Dominican evangelist St. Vincent Ferrer, just before leaving Italy, preached a sermon in which he predicted that one of his listeners would continue his work among the Italians — a prophecy Bernardine heard in person and went on to fulfill.

Bernardine's personal devotion to God, which amazed even the strict Franciscans, made his preaching extremely effective. He moved his hearers to abandon their vices, turn back to God, and make peace with one another. He promoted devotion to the name of Jesus as a simple and effective means of recalling God's love at all times.

When other priests consulted him for advice, Bernardine gave them a simple rule: "In all your actions, seek in the first place the kingdom of God and his glory. Direct all you do purely to his honor. Persevere in brotherly charity, and practice first all that you desire to teach others."

"By this means," he said, "the Holy Spirit will be your master and will give you such wisdom and such a tongue that no adversary will be able to stand against you."

Bernardine's own life attested to this source of strength in the face of trials. He patiently suffered an accusation of heresy — which Pope Martin V judged to be false — and refused to abandon his bold preaching when a nobleman threatened him with death.

But Bernardine was also widely admired throughout Italy, and he was offered the office of a bishop on three occasions. Each time, however, he turned down the position, choosing to fulfill the prediction of St. Vincent Ferrer through his missionary work. Bernardine preached throughout most of Italy several times over, and even managed to reconcile members of its warring political factions.

Later in his life, Bernardine served for five years as the vicar general for his Franciscan order and revived the practice of its strict rule of life. Then in 1444, 40 years after he first entered religious life, Bernardine became sick while traveling. He continued to preach, but soon lost his strength and his voice.

He died on May 20, 1444, and only six years later, in 1450, Pope Nicholas V canonized him a saint.

This story was first published on May 15, 2011, and was updated Oct. 13, 2026.

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Pope Leo XIV entered the hospital on Oct. 13 to undergo surgery to remove a lung nodule. The Vatican has said his recovery in the hospital will take at least a week and the pope's appointments are canceled through Oct. 20.

An extended hospital stay for one of the most important leaders in the world may raise the question: Who exactly runs the Vatican wh

en a pope is hospitalized or unable to perform his normal duties?

Matthew Bunson, vice president and editorial director of EWTN News and the author of numerous books on Catholicism including "Encyclopedia of Catholic History," told EWTN News in 2025 after then-Pope Francis was hospitalized that in such cases, "the machinery of state tends to keep functioning."

Andreas Widmer, an associate professor of practice in entrepreneurship at The Catholic University of America's Busch School of Business and former Swiss Guard at the Vatican, likewise said much of the Vatican's administration continues even when the pope is sick.

"Things keep going. He is kept apprised by [Vatican officials]," said Widmer, who served as a Swiss Guard under Pope John Paul II in the 1980s and who regularly returns to the Vatican to work with the guard.

Pope Leo is expected to be hospitalized for just a week. But in some cases, popes have addressed the possible need for resignations in the event of serious health crises.

Pope Paul VI in 1965 wrote a letter to the dean of the College of Cardinals stating that, in the event of his incapacitation while in office, he should be considered resigned. (Pope Paul ultimately lived another 13 years and died while in office.)

In 2022, Pope Francis revealed that in the first year of his pontificate he had signed his resignation and given it to then-Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, to be invoked if he was medically incapacitated and unable to carry out his duties. ("I don't know who Cardinal Bertone gave it to, but I gave it to him when he was secretary of state," the late pope joked at the time.)

In his biography published in 2024, Francis said he considered the Petrine ministry to be "for life" and saw no conditions for resignation, barring serious physical impairment.

Widmer argued that popes are not given to leaving such matters unresolved one way or the other. "A pope is not going to leave this to chance. They take their responsibility very seriously," he said.

The Vatican said on Oct. 13 that the pope's surgery was completed successfully. Yet in the event of a pope's death, Bunson said, much of the immediate administration of the Vatican falls to the camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church — one of the few officials of the Vatican who does not immediately lose his job upon a pope's death.

The camerlengo's roles include certifying the pope's death and overseeing the functions of the interregnum.

"It's his job to certify the death of the reigning pope and to make sure the wishes of the pope are respected," Bunson explained. "Then the cardinals are summoned to Rome," after which a new pope is eventually elected.

Also retaining his title in the event of a pope's death is the head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, the dicastery for which the chief role is the forgiveness of sins.

That official "always keeps his job," Bunson said, "because there must always be the opportunity for God's loving mercy."

A second key official is the almoner of his holiness, the cardinal in charge of papal charity and care for the poor. It was Pope Francis who decreed that the almoner should keep his post, a reflection of Francis' concern for the forgotten and most vulnerable.

This story was first published on Feb. 26, 2025, and was updated on Oct. 13, 2026.

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Upon completing the final 62 miles of the Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James) in northwestern Spain, New York Archbishop Ronald Hicks celebrated on Monday the pilgrim's Mass at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

During his homily, delivered in both Spanish and English, the prelate shared aspects of his experience as a pilgrim and encouraged those present to reflect on what — and with whom — they had journeyed along the Camino de Santiago, the route that leads from various points across Europe to the site where tradition places the tomb of the apostle St. James the Greater.

Regarding the first question — "What were you walking with?" — the archbishop revealed that, beyond his backpack, walking sticks, and physical gear, he completed the route with something more: "With my prayers, with my problems, with my thoughts."

He also took the opportunity to share that he made the pilgrimage wearing a baseball cap "featuring a photo of our Holy Father, Pope Leo," to show that "I am Catholic and am walking with him and the Church."

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As for the company he kept during the pilgrimage, the prelate expressed his joy at having walked the Camino de Santiago not only with a group of his own companions but also alongside other pilgrims from all over the world. He particularly noted crossing paths with an 89-year-old woman and a family with a 7-month-old baby.

"To say that we were walking with everything is another way of saying that we were walking with the Church, together as brothers and sisters. Pope Francis said that the Catholic Church is 'everyone, everyone, everyone.' When we are gathered together, Jesus is with us," he added.

He also noted that the apostle James was very much present throughout the journey. In this regard, he affirmed that James is "not merely part of our past history" but is present today, for "he walked with us at every step."

Referring to the feast of Our Lady of the Pillar — patroness of the Hispanic world, celebrated on Oct. 12 — Hicks recalled how she appeared to the apostle James in Zaragoza before her assumption into heaven at a time when he was feeling "a bit discouraged" at seeing no fruit from his preaching.

"Our Lady of the Pillar wants only one thing from us. She wants us to know her Son and to find salvation through, in, and with her Son Jesus Christ — in his life, suffering, death, and resurrection," he added.

Hicks emphasized that the journey of faith is not limited to the Camino de Santiago; rather, "our journey is with Jesus toward heaven, toward eternal life." In this regard, he added that the pilgrim's Mass does not mark the end of the Camino de Santiago: "Our journey continues on to eternal life."

A journey encouraged by Cardinal Dolan

Hicks arrived in Spain on Sunday, Oct. 4, embarking on what he described — in posts shared on his social media — as a "spiritual journey" he had long wished to undertake.

"I have been planning this journey for three years. Ever since I arrived, I kept asking myself, 'Will I have time to do it? Am I too busy? Should I put it off?'" he explained shortly before traveling to Spain.

While weighing this decision, he received a call from Cardinal Timothy Dolan — his predecessor as archbishop of New York — who told him: "I hear you want to do the Camino. Here is some advice: Do it, do it, do it. I always wanted to do the Camino but never could, and I regret it."

Taking that recommendation to heart, he decided to make the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, "following the voice of the Lord." To that end, he announced that he would disconnect from social media for the duration of the trip.

And that is exactly what he did; upon arriving Sunday in Compostela — standing in the imposing Plaza del Obradoiro beside the cathedral — he picked up his phone again to share that he had felt the Lord's companionship every step of the way: "Jesus was walking with me the whole time."

Santiago de Compostela is one of five cities in the world that enjoy the privilege of celebrating jubilee years in perpetuity, alongside Jerusalem and Rome as well as Santo Toribio de Liébana and Caravaca de la Cruz, both in Spain.

This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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Villanova University faculty members will shed light on the application of Catholic social teaching to nontheological disciplines such as business and engineering at the International Sustainability Conference in Rome. 

Father John Abubakar, chief sustainability officer at Villanova University, told "EWTN News Nightly" on Oct. 12 that the goal of Villanova faculty at the Oct. 12–15 conference, themed "Responding to the Cries of the Earth and the Poor," is "to bring in the ethical and moral dimension of our responsibility to care for our common home."

The conference comes after Pope Leo XIV announced that he will admitted to the hospital for surgery on Oct. 13 to remove a "small nodule" found in his lung. The Holy Father had been scheduled to present Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect emeritus of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, with the conference's inaugural Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal.

"The Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal Ceremony will take place on Oct. 13 at the originally announced time and location. We are in close coordination with the Vatican regarding the medal presentation in light of the Holy Father's upcoming surgery," Villanova said in a statement. "We are awaiting official confirmation as to whether Pope Leo XIV will present the medal. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Holy Father. May God grant the Holy Father strength, healing and a full recovery in the days ahead."

Abubakar said the aim of the inaugural award is to fill "an important gap" in the sustainability sphere by emphasizing both "the ethical and moral dimension of caring for our common home and also caring for the poor."

Measures such as carbon footprints and other environmental benchmarks are important tools for understanding ecological systems, he said, but they alone are not enough.

Villanova professors scheduled to present are David Dinehart, a professor of civil and environmental engineering; Manuela Priesemuth-Payan and Jonathan Doh, professors of business; and Ruth McDermott-Levy, co-director of the Mid-Atlantic Center for Children's Health and the Environment.

"It is our hope that the research being done will not only emphasize the technical aspects of caring for our common home, but that the moral and the ethical dimension will also be fully embraced," Abubakar said.

"When you look at Catholic social teaching, the principles are applicable to social settings," he said. "We speak about the preferential option for the poor, for instance. Such a principle directly applies to those who are engaged in business endeavors. And when you think also about solidarity, when you think about what engineering does in terms of maybe humanitarian engineering, that we have a department at Villanova, they show great sense of solidarity, which is another Catholic social teaching principle."

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VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV's decision to personally announce that he will undergo surgery to remove a nodule from one of his lungs has been welcomed as an unprecedented gesture of transparency in the recent history of the papacy.

The surprise announcement Sunday, Oct. 11, stunned hundreds of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square for the Angelus prayer.

By speaking directly about his health, the pontiff departed from a long-standing Vatican practice of limiting information about papal illnesses and medical treatment.

Traditionally, the health of popes has been shrouded in considerable secrecy. For decades, illnesses and hospitalizations were disclosed only in limited terms and sometimes incompletely.

In 1992, for example, St. John Paul II announced that he would enter the hospital for medical tests but did not explain why. Only three days later did the Vatican disclose that he had undergone surgery to remove a benign tumor from his colon.

Under Pope Francis, a greater degree of openness began to emerge. During his various hospitalizations, the Holy See issued medical bulletins about his condition and, in some cases, arranged briefings by the doctors treating him.

Even troubling details of the Argentine pontiff's hospitalizations were disclosed, including respiratory crises during his final illness before his death in 2025.

Nevertheless, the information continued to come primarily through official Vatican channels rather than directly from the pope himself.

In earlier decades, secrecy surrounding papal health had contributed to controversies such as the death of John Paul I in 1978. The limited information released after his death, just 33 days after his election, fueled years of questions and speculation about the circumstances.

Against that historical background, Leo XIV's decision to announce his own upcoming surgery represents a significant departure from tradition.

Senior cardinals interviewed by EWTN News described the disclosure as a shift in how the Vatican communicates about the health of the pope.

Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect emeritus of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, linked the decision to the spirit of fraternity promoted in Pope Francis' encyclical Fratelli Tutti.

"In the spirit of Fratelli Tutti, it is a sign of fraternity to share your illness with those who care for you," Czerny said.

"And to say that the whole world cares for Pope Leo is not an exaggeration; it's a fact. So I see his openness or transparency as an expression of both humility and truth."

Czerny emphasized that the concern and prayers prompted by the announcement reflected the communion of the Church and the wider human family with the successor of Peter.

"Now, every feeling of concern, every hopeful prayer of whatever kind, is the human family expressing communion with an esteemed leader and father who we know loves us," he said.

"May God bless Pope Leo and bring him back to us, healthy as ever!"

Czerny is scheduled to receive the first Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal on Tuesday afternoon at Borgo Laudato Si', located on the grounds of the papal villas at Castel Gandolfo. The pope had been expected to attend the ceremony, but his participation was canceled.

Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, said hearing the news directly from the pope had provoked a mixture of painful surprise, fear, and fraternal affection, along with a sense of closeness and honesty.

"Hearing the news directly from the pope caused me painful surprise, fear, fraternal affection, but at the same time a sense of intimacy, closeness, openness without masks, of great honesty toward us," Fernández said.

"It is impossible not to feel personally involved when you hear the pope tell his truth in that way, acknowledge the frailty of his flesh and at the same time his serene confidence," he added.

Fernández said that, paradoxically, the troubling news had deepened the sense of communion within the Church.

"Mysteriously, bad news thus becomes a deeply felt expression of ecclesial communion and affection for that father who unites us," he said. "I experienced a powerful sense of how valuable it is for the Church to have that father."

Cardinal Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi, archbishop of Tokyo and president of Caritas Internationalis, offered a firsthand account of the pope's condition after meeting with him Monday, Oct. 12.

The audience, Kikuchi explained, had been arranged long in advance as part of the annual meeting in which the president and secretary-general of Caritas Internationalis report on the organization's activities to the pope.

"Holy Father was as usual and calm with no sign of sickness," Kikuchi told EWTN News.

"He assured me that this is a minor operation and he feels nothing wrong with his body, and he said he had decided to go for the operation as soon as possible not to change his plan of [the] Latin America pastoral visit."

The pope is scheduled to travel to South America Nov. 6–17.

Kikuchi said he also joked with Leo XIV about the wisdom of publicly announcing the surgery.

"I told him jokingly that his decision to make it public was prudent to prevent speculation of [the] public who would be next pope. For this he smiled," the cardinal recalled.

"But I really believe so that he made really a prudent decision to avoid any speculation or gossiping," Kikuchi added.

The cardinal's account suggests that Leo XIV's decision to disclose his medical condition was intended not only to inform the faithful but also to forestall rumors about the future of the papacy.

For the cardinals who spoke to EWTN News, the announcement marks a notable change in Vatican communications, with the pope choosing to speak openly about his vulnerability while expressing confidence about his treatment and his plans to continue his ministry.

This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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In a Middle East scarred by war, children in Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria gathered in churches and schoolyards this month to answer Pope Leo XIV's call to pray the rosary for peace, joining more than a million young people worldwide.

Their prayers were part of "One Million Children Praying the Rosary," organized by the pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), and took place Oct. 1–7. This year's campaign drew particular inspiration from Our Lady of Fátima's promise: "In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph."

Lebanon

At least 261 children have been killed and 1,056 injured in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2, according to figures published by UNICEF. In March, the agency reported that an average of at least 19,000 children were being displaced each day.

Against this backdrop, in the Maronite Diocese of Antelias, more than 1,300 students gathered around Bishop Antoine Bou Najem to pray. "We are praying today for children living in fear, for those who have no home, and for those enduring war, hunger, and sorrow," Bou Najem said.

Palestine

In Palestine, the prayer for peace took place against the backdrop of the devastation and displacement caused by the war in Gaza, whose effects continue to weigh heavily on children and families there.

In Jerusalem, Our Lady of Pilar College, also known as the Spanish School, shared photographs of its students gathered in the school courtyard to pray for peace.

Located in Jerusalem's Old City and run by the Missionary Daughters of Calvary, the school serves underprivileged students belonging to the poorest families in and around East Jerusalem.

Syria

In Syria, children and families gathered at Holy Spirit Cathedral in Homs, a city scarred by years of war, to join the same international initiative.

"From Homs, a city that has known the pain of war and longs for peace, the children's prayers rose with a simple yet profound hope," the Syriac Catholic Archdiocese of Homs, Hama, and Nabk wrote in its post. "Queen of Peace, pray for us … and bring the world together in love and unity."

This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been translated for and adapted by EWTN News English.

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U.S. bishops, including Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, continue to denounce plans to livestream the Dec. 3 execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan.

In a joint statement with Broglio issued Oct. 12 by the Texas Catholic bishops, Bishop Daniel E. Garcia of the Diocese of Austin said the public broadcast of Hasan's execution "would make a spectacle of death." He wrote that "True justice cannot be achieved through further violence or vengeance."

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell announced Oct. 5 on X that President Donald Trump had approved the execution of Hasan, the Army psychiatrist convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting. On Oct. 8, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in an interview with Real America's Voice that Hasan's execution would be livestreamed from Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, where Hasan killed 14 people, including an unborn baby, and wounded more than 30 others in the attack.

"The tragedy at Fort Hood has traumatized the loved ones of those killed, the survivors, and the entire military community," Garcia, whose diocese encompasses Fort Hood, said. "Carrying out this execution at Fort Hood, especially as a public broadcast, will only exacerbate that trauma."

Garcia asked Catholics to pray for military service members "called upon to participate in the execution." In a letter issued the same day, Broglio went further, writing that he obliges "any Catholics assigned to the firing squad to request to be excused from this action contrary to the teaching of the Church."

I oblige any Catholics assigned to the firing squad to request to be excused from this action contrary to the teaching of the Church."

Archbishop Timothy Broglio

Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA

Broglio, who was received by Pope Leo XIV on Oct. 12, added that "it is my duty to express my disapproval of what is proposed regarding the execution of the terrorist Hasan in the Archdiocese entrusted to my spiritual care to be done by those for whose salvation I have been constituted as the Archbishop for the Military Services, USA," pointing out the "moral injury … the members of the firing squad might experience."

He also expressed his sympathy for the family and friends of the victims of Hasan's attack, which he said "disregarded the dignity of the human person," and reiterated the Church's opposition to the death penalty, saying that it too offends human dignity.

Broglio called Hasan's crime "heinous," and asked if "exposing the public to his execution" would serve any purpose. "Will the exposure of a live-stream to the young and impressionable during the 250th anniversary year of our independence be able to be repaired?" Broglio asked.

He urged that the decision be reconsidered, and if not, for "the young and impressionable" to be protected from viewing the livestream of the execution.

He asked if Americans "really want to imitate the terrorists of this world and make a public spectacle of barbarically killing our adversaries?"

Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, agreed. He also issued a statement on Oct. 12, calling the upcoming execution "performative barbarism."

"Do we really want our children, who will inevitably view it, exposed to the pornography of a state-sponsored slaying?" he asked.

Cupich said a televised execution will not prevent future crimes and might even encourage the conferral of "martyrdom on the Fort Hood killer."

He also said the livestreamed execution further "contributes to the characterization of our nation as a violent, vengeful place. Forgiveness bestows grace. Murder by the state is an insult to Our Lord who teaches that all life is sacred."

Broglio concurred, asking "if there really is a value to throwing [the U.S. military] in the same boat with terrorists by broadcasting the image of the execution of a man in a wheel chair to the whole world? Does this decision reflect the dignity of the human person?"

Last week, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, wrote in an Oct. 9 statement: "It is with shock and great sorrow that I have learned of the Department of War's decision to publicly livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan."

"Our God is the God of life," Coakley said. "In no way can Hasan's actions be condoned but this decision is a barbaric promotion of a culture of death and must be reconsidered."

Citing Romans 12:17, which commands: "Do not repay anyone evil for evil," Coakley continued: "The public execution even of one who has done grave harm will only further undermine the moral fabric of our nation and be a blight on the conscience of its people."

"I pray for the intercession of Our Lady of Good Counsel that we as a nation may always choose life even in the most trying times and circumstances."

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