Question: is sympathy identical to pity or is pity not, in fact, a stronger word? 

Answer: I don't think one term is necessarily stronger than the other but sympathy implies a fellow-feeling, a sharing of sorry where pity implies looking down on the person or situation.  You might have sympathy for someone who is ill but pity someone who is in jail because of a crime they committed.
This question from the Yahoo Q&A forum is categorized in the topic: Family & Relationships