Reply #71: If I had dredged up the entire statement..

[Princess Turandot]

it says that the modern penal system makes the death penalty effectively unneccesary, since it should only be used if it was the only option to protect other members of society, not as retribution. I'd say that means he is opposed to it ever being used, since it's hard to conceive of a situation where a convicted murderer would need to be executed to protect society. I can't think of an example,
other than such a person escaping after conviction, but that's a different matter.Perhaps you can think of an example.

I do not agree with the Catholic Church's stance on homosexuality.
I only note that there are religions & governments with far more totalitarian views towards gay people than the Catholic Church, despite the fact that it's the most cited in those types of discussions.