A few weeks ago, we read the Gospel of the woman caught in adultery. The leaders, wishing to “kill two birds with one stone,” (Jesus and the woman) tried to trick Jesus into condemning the adulteress, almost taking pleasure in “catching” someone in wrongdoing, enjoying the sense of power that their “superiority” gave them. We all know what our Lord did. He let them speak and then shamed them all with the words: “Let the one who is without sin cast the first stone.” Everyone left, probably with a red face. Probably quite a few of them had committed adultery, but had never been caught. If anyone had the right to cast the first stone it was certainly Jesus: He had no sin! But He simply looked at the woman with His kind eyes and said: “Did no one condemn you? Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

Why did Jesus show so much mercy? Because he loved. He loves every sinner and gave His life for them, for all of us. He took no pleasure in condemning; His goal was the repentance, the conversion of the sinner, not his death. And because He showed mercy to the sinner, but spoke out clearly against sin, He angered both the religious and the political authorities, who conspired together to kill Him.

Fast-forward 2000 years. A small percentage of our priests have sinned grievously against the young. A very small percentage. Nevertheless, no matter how small the number, what they did was wrong. The guilt of the bishops who moved them to a different assignment, after sending them to rehabilitation, counseling or whatever, may or may not be grave. That depends on the professional advice that they received from the professionals they trusted (psychologists, counselors, psychiatrists). All this should make us sad. It should compel us to pray for everyone involved: the victims, the perpetrators and their bishops. It should make us eager for the repentance and conversion of those who sinned, just as we would wish that those around us would pray for us in our sinfulness, and wish for our conversion and repentance.

Doesn’t the “feeding frenzy” that is going on today among the media and their allies remind us of the crowd who pushed the adulterous woman toward Jesus, feeling superior, stones in their hands, ready to kill? Now they are even going after our beloved Holy Father, in an attempt to “kill” his reputation, poison our minds against him and even put him to trial. It seems that they take pleasure in trying to destroy him, just as those long-ago leaders took pleasure in trying to destroy our Lord. And again, if Jesus were standing in front of this crowd of hypocrites He would tell them: “Let the one without sin cast the first stone.” And just like 2000 years ago, every one of them would leave with downcast eyes and a red face, because their sins could not withstand the light of the Son.

Do you remember when our beloved Holy Father was first elected? The world media bared its collective poisoned fangs at this gentle, intelligent, old man and called him “God’s Rottweiler” because he dared say that what they did was sinful. He actually dared to say that voting for someone who promoted abortion was sinful. He actually continues to say that marriage is a divine institution between one man and one woman. How dare he? Then the frenzy died down, as another victim appeared at their horizon…only to come back after they dug up as much dirt as possible against him and our Church. Again, with stones in their hands, hatred dripping from their pens, they self-righteously are claiming the right to condemn this same gentle, loving old man who dares stand up to them, not with malice, not with bitter words, but with kindness, with logic, with compassion and (horror!) with the Truth.

Now, I am not trying to shield anyone who committed a crime. But justice should always be evenhanded, not tainted by revenge, and always aiming at redemption, not destruction. When Italy was a thoroughly Catholic country, its leaders wisely realized that unless justice be tempered by mercy, it’s not justice, and they called the Italian justice department Ministero di Grazia e Giustizia (the Department of Mercy and Justice). Notice that Mercy is first.

Two thousand years have gone by since our Lord walked among us and tried to tell the powerful that they could not bully their enemies. Two thousand years ago, the powerful wanted none of His messages, His words, His truth.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus also warned us that His followers would be mocked, persecuted, hated, even killed. This Lent, our beloved Holy Father, one more time, personally experienced the truth of these words. And he has taken the abuse silently, without condemning, without blaming others. The media can throw stones; the Pope cannot respond in kind. He cannot even speak in his defense, because it would mean revealing confidential information, maybe harming others’ reputation, and he would never do that. Let’s pray for our Holy Father. This frail old man is bearing the heaviest cross on this earth, let us all support him with our love and our prayers.