Whenever Francis ventures into this area, I cannot help but feel a little bit sorry for him.  I doubt I'm alone when I found myself, even as I first read his words, fighting all manner of involuntary question and response to his words.  Such is the ongoing legacy of the church's handling of the scandal.  

Those thoughts pop up when I read sentences like this:

The jubilee celebration is a time for prisoners and those who have served time to remember that while a price is paid for breaking the law, "hope must not falter," he said.

The implication of a link between justice and mercy seems 'rich' given that the church still refuses to hold bishops accountable for their role in the scandal, still protects some of the more egregious bishops, and still offers no explanation as to why it won't address this concern.

All too sadly, I find it hard to take what he says,  given this refusal to accept the "price" to be paid when it comes to bishops.  The rest of us must pay that price.  Bishops?