Francis @ Five: A public debate over the impact of this controversial pontificate Francis @ Five: A public debate over the impact of this controversial pontificate

Pope Francis is celebrating five years as head of the Catholic Church on 2018. To mark this anniversary, two leading Catholics, a journalist and a theologian, voiced their conflicting opinions on the legacy of Pope Francis controversial pontificate. Ross Douthat is a New York Times Columnist and author of To Change the Church: Pope Francis and the Future of Catholicism. Him and Dr. Massimo Faggioli, professor of Theology at Villanova University, and contributor of the Commonweal Magazine, debated over Pope Francis legacy in front of a general audience in New York. Both hold very unique viewpoints on Pope Francis leadership and beliefs. As a result, this debate highlighted many core, commonly discussed issues surrounding the current papacy, as the two debtors expressed their different viewpoints. The event was co-hosted with Religion New Foundation, Religion News Service, and The Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University. The debate was also moderated by David Gibson, Director of Fordhams Center on Religion and Culture.