Pope Francis’s Muddled Mercy

Pope Francis began a Jubilee of Mercy in 2015, and now, in the aftermath of his death, “mercy” is the watchword in both the religious and secular reflections on his life. Pope Francis best embodied mercy in his extraordinary gift of presence with the person in front of him. However, for those who couldn’t reach him in person, his legacy of mercy is a muddled one. He was most celebrated for reaching out to those his supporters already believed were not guilty. His solicitude toward the genuinely culpable caused scandal.