Some conservatives tend to confuse fidelity with a one-size-fits-all legalism. If there's one thing you can say about Pope Francis, it's that he's no legalist.
Reflecting on the two Notre Dame graduations clearly reveals that the latest rounds of the culture wars have sputtered to an end—and that we need a new way forward.
To understand Francis and support the direction he has been setting for the Church, we need to think more deeply about the ways and means of “forgiveness.”