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CATEGORY: RELIGION (6 MIN) 

Farewell to Francis

Just one day after Easter Sunday, Pope Francis passed away in the Vatican this week after battling various health problems. His death triggered an outpouring of mourning across the world, and it set in motion the process for international cardinals to elect a new pope next month. It’s reported that Pope Francis’s last words were ones of kindness, when he told his nurse, “Thank you for bringing me back to the Square.” 

R.R. Reno, in First Things, delivers his ode to the life of Pope Francis, focusing on a unique attribute of the late leader of the Catholic Church: he was the first Jesuit pope. Reno highlights the duties and purposes of the Jesuit order, such as the discipline of the Spiritual Exercises and the intentional formation of “holy single-mindedness.”  

Reno argues that such focuses on mission often led Jesuits to become impatient with “impediments, even those created by moral and religious duties.” He then points to Pope Francis’s departure from some limiting rules, like his choice not to make the archbishop of Milan and the patriarch of Venice cardinals. Reno also says Francis cleverly navigated intra-Church struggles, by giving little concessions to liberal influences to avoid any “formal and official accommodations.”  

Reno does not think all of Francis’s moves worked. He adds that the pope’s treatment of the United States was “less nimble.” But he acknowledges the unique attitude that led to instrumentalizing and maneuvering from the Vatican—a “distinctive character” that Reno believes passes with Pope Francis. 

Read more in Reno’s piece here. ​

Weekly Poll

What kind of pope do you think the Catholic Church needs next?

[A] A traditionalist
[B] A reformer
[C] A peacemaker
[D] Unsure

RESULTS: 4/17/2025

Should the US pressure European leaders to take more responsibility for their nations?

[A] Yes - 89.3%
[B] No - 7.1%
​​​​​​[C] Unsure - 3.6%

CATEGORY: CULTURE (12 MIN)

The Age of Substitutes: Why Real Life Is Slipping Away

In the computer industry, there’s a well-known empirical principle from the 1960s called Moore’s Law, which predicts that (about) every two years, the number of transistors on a microchip will double. Although modern experts debate whether it’s dead today, Moore’ Law reflected the exponential technological explosion of the past few decades. That explosion has had—and will continue to have—drastic effect on our culture and humanity. 

For his column in The New York Times, ISI alum Ross Douthat describes the “bottleneck.” He defines this effect as “a period of rapid pressure that threatens cultures, customs and peoples with extinction.” Douthat traces what he sees as our current bottleneck to the technological revolution.  

He points to the death, or dying throes, of many customs humanity took for granted. Our lack of attention span cripples books and movies. Daily newspapers, hometown restaurants, and malls begin to fade. And radical elements start to gain popularity in political circles around the world. Worst, Douthat says, “young people don’t date or marry or start families.” 

Douthat blames these trends on the digital world’s tendency to replace physical objects and people with “virtual substitutes.” He argues that such substitutes don’t hold a candle to what they replace. But they’re addictive, they’re omnipresent, and they provide instant gratification, so Douthat believes their dominance isn’t surprising.  

In response, Douthat urges resisting these impulses in our own lives and living present, physical lives. What do you think? Read more with our NYT guest link here. ​​​​​​