April 23, 2018

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) As part of the ongoing public conversation about the papacy of Pope Francis, four leading journalists who have written about his pontificate will participate in a discussion at The Catholic University of America on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of his election.

The journalists participating in the discussion “Francis at Five: Examining the Pontificate of Pope Francis” on Wednesday, April 25, include:

  • John L. Allen Jr., editor of Crux who specializes in coverage of the Vatican and the Catholic Church
  • Elizabeth Bruenig, columnist for The Washington Post focusing on politics, religion, and morality in public life
  • E.J. Dionne, columnist for The Washington Post
  • Ross Douthat, columnist for The New York Times and the author of the new book, To Change the Church: Pope Francis and the Future of Catholicism

Sponsored by Catholic University’s Institute for Human Ecology (IHE), the event will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. A reception will follow. Joseph Capizzi, executive director of IHE and professor of moral theology/ethics, will serve as moderator.

“Catholic University is the academic heart of the Catholic Church in the United States,” says Capizzi. “At a time when so much seems unsettled, and the Catholic Church continues to have a deep influence on global society, it is fitting that a conversation of this importance happen here at the University founded by Pope Leo XIII and visited by the three latest popes.”

Capizzi describes the panelists as “some of the most important and insightful commentators on the Catholic faith writing in the English language.”

Capizzi adds that the goal of the discussion “is to reflect on the impact of Pope Francis on the Church and the world, and in particular, his relationship to the papacies of his immediate predecessors, the influence of his encyclical Laudato Si' on global ecological and economic issues, and his teachings on marriage and the family, institutions at the center of a flourishing human ecology.”

The event will be held in Heritage Hall on the University campus, 620 Michigan Ave., N.E., Washington, D.C. It will be livestreamed at https://livestream.com/CatholicUniversity/events/8143092.

MEDIA: To schedule an interview or attend this event, contact the Office of Marketing and Communications at communications@cua.edu or 202-319-5600.

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ABOUT: The Catholic University of America is the national university of the Catholic Church and the only higher education institution founded by the U.S. bishops. Established in 1887 as a papally chartered graduate and research center, the University comprises 12 schools and 26 research facilities and is home to 3,241 undergraduate and 2,835 graduate students.

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