by TChris

As support for the death penalty continues to erode, some conservative politicians are starting to reconsider the pro-death stance that has been politically popular for so long. Among them, Sen. Rick Santorum, a Catholic who appears to be open to the church's renewed interest in abolishing death as a punishment.

He has not become an abolitionist, and he believes church teaching against the death penalty carries less weight than its longer-standing opposition to abortion. But he questions what he once unquestioningly supported.

Santorum agrees that "the application of the death penalty should be limited" -- not much of a concession, but a start. At least he's thinking about the issue.

"I never thought about it that much when I was really a supporter of the death penalty. I still see it as potentially valuable, but I would be one to urge more caution than I would have in the past," he said.

Santorum's comments come in response to a recent poll showing that opposition to the death penalty among Catholics has nearly doubled since 2001.