How Different is Pope Francis? Religion on TV, and More

Pope Francis recently told reporters he won’t “judge” gay priests. But will this softening of tone mean a change in church policy?

A Shift in Tone, But What About Policy?
However you judge him, Pope Francis is certainly different from earlier popes. He has visited slums, washed the feet of prisoners, and criticized what he called “savage capitalism” on a visit to a soup kitchen. And now this – on the way back from Brazil, he told reporters, “Who am I to judge a gay person of goodwill who seeks the Lord?” We consider what his new emphasis might mean for the Church.

Rev. Thomas Reese, Jesuit priest and senior analyst for the National Catholic Reporter
Kim Lawton, managing editor for Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly

Fabricating Lives in TV’s ‘Meet the Hutterites’

About a year and a half ago, when the National Geographic Channel starting filming a tiny religious group in rural Montana, they weren’t getting the tape they wanted. Scenes of the Hutterites praying in church, tending the fields and canning vegetables didn’t create a story arc. So the producers started inventing some – according to documents filed by the community.

Alan Mairson, former staff writer for National Geographic Magazine and creator of Society Matters


Share This Episode