“It is truly incomprehensible that anyone would want to use this method in this day and age. I do not know for what purpose. It is certainly unacceptable to turn death into a spectacle. However guilty the person may be, there are other ways.”

Cardinal Pietro Parolin · said 2026-10-09 · reported 2026-10-13

According to the English translation published by Vatican News, Parolin said it is incomprehensible that anyone would want to use this execution method.