But the Church does not teach that one must accept her position on the DP to be fully in Communion. (Regardless of the positions of the Am Bishops) If and when that ever happens, I shall work on bringing myself into the fold.
I feel that the DP is rare already. Of course, once you bring in states that murder their own for political reasons, it becomes much less so. While we believe the world revolves around the US, perhaps the Pope had the whole world in mind.
I agree that reform is needed, but think the DP should remain in place. As far as deterrence, doesn't a person need to believe that something will in fact occur, and probably soon? If the likelihood of the DP is minimal, and that it wouldn't be carried out for like 20 years, why would the existence of it be a deterrent?
Well, yeah. The Church is arguing that the sanctity of life protects even the worst criminal as long as they are no longer a threat to society at large. That includes criminals in China, North Korea, and the United States. Though it's not an absolute condemnation, and we're not removed from communion with the Church, it's still our responsibilty, as the flock, to listen to what the Magisterium advises us, and if our consciences are not conformed, to make the effort to seek out understanding of their stance.
This has been an extremely difficult step to take, as I was very much pro-DP. However, I've found it quite liberating to at least begin to understand what is being taught. I don't have all the answers, but if we're not open to what the Church has explicitly declared, we're just spinning our wheels with our own opinions.