Pope Francis recently in one of his homilies mentioned how we can
never judge Judas for what he did. Then he refers to a particular medieval
capital of a column in the Basilica of St. Mary Magdalen in Vézelay, Burgundy,
France. The Successor of Peter describes how people in the Middle Ages taught
the Gospel through sculptures and paintings. “On that capital, on one side
there is Judas, hanged; but on the other is the Good Shepherd who is carrying
him on his shoulders and is carrying him away,” Pope Francis said.
He also revealed
that he has a photograph of that two-part capital behind his desk, because it
helps him meditate. “There is a smile on the lips of the Good Shepherd, which I
wouldn’t say is ironic, but a little bit complicit,” he describes. “There are
many ways of reacting to shame; one is to despair, but we must try to help
despairing people to find the true path of shame, so they don’t go down the
path that put an end to Judas’ life.”
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