JPII came out strongly against the death penalty to the point where my pastor believes the Church is against it. He is by no means liberal, either. The catechism takes a fairly prudent approach to the issue, however.
As for myself, I go back and forth; on one hand, I think that there are those who have killed so many that even capital punishment is a mitigated justice and maybe we should bring back torture. On the other hand, power in the hands of government is like car keys in the hands of a drunk teen. Should government be trusted with the power to kill? But what if the criminal kills again? Can you then say the government has become negligent for shirking it's duty? It is a tough call for this Catholic.
Well, PJPII NEVER not once stated the Death Penalty was in conflict with the faith... He did criticize the judicial system under which it is applied... at times unfairly to poor and minority etc.. but he NEVER said the death penalty was in conflict with the faith.
The media cherry picked sentences in its reporting of the Pope's words at times to give that impression, but his full text never once stated Capital Punishment was immoral or a sin.
Many folks are under the wrong impression on this one... and you can blame media bias and laziness on this one.
I do not go back and forth on this one. Society has no right to keep those who kill alive... Christ himself was executed, and done so unjustly... yet he NEVER argued the Roman's authority to do it. He did not call out for the sparing of the thief that died on Calvary that day with him... or any other execution that occurred during his time on earth.
A person who decides that they, personally have the right to end others lives, has defacto forfieted their own. The state has not only the authority, but the obligation to ensure that this forfieture is enforced. Will the murderer go to heaven or hell? That is up to the almighty to decide, but the state defiantely has the authority to enforce the forfeiture of a murderer's life for the taking of innocent life.
I have no qualms with the exercise of capital punishment within a just judicial system. I do not find any moral confusion on this issue, nor do I find anything in scripture old or new testament that is in conflict with it.
The danger is of course an unjust judiciary enforcing it, and the Pope and church have criticized the US for percieved unjust behaviors of the courts.. but NEVER not in all his years as Pope, or any Pope before him, did PJP state that Capital Punishment itself is wrong, immorral or not in keeping with the faith.