Can the Pope Change Church Doctrine on Capital Punishment? Short Answer: NO!

We live in an era of papal confusion. Every time Pope Francis opens his mouth he throws a grenade at the faithful in the pews leaving chaos and flying shrapnel that obscures the teaching of the Church. On the one hand he will say something in conformity with Church doctrine; the next minute he acts in a way that contradicts what he just said. And then, refusing to clarify, he lets the confusion batter the faithful. One prudent friend said she just doesn't listen to him any more. What a situation for a Catholic where Peter, the chief teacher, bound to teach, govern, and sanctify has become a champion of confusion.  Pope Francis recently lobbed a grenade by saying that capital punishment is never admissible. That is a CHANGE in a perennial Church doctrine; not a development, not a clarification -- a break with past teaching. The papal posse on EWTN raises many troubling questions about the pope's actions in the video below. Raymond Arroyo observes that convicted murderers sometimes escape from prison killing more people in the process and gives examples of recent cases. How does that uphold the dignity and rights of their victims? It's a question that has always prevented me from jumping on the anti-death penalty wagon. How are prisoners and guards to be protected from homicidal psychopaths? Are their lives not worth protecting? How many murders does a criminal get before society can protect itself?