New York City, N.Y., Feb 3, 2018 / 11:00 am
After public disagreement in dueling op-eds, and frequent disagreements on Twitter, one could be forgiven for expecting the debate between New York Times columnist Ross Douthat and Villanova Professor Massimo Faggioli to be a little fiery.
The two met on January 31 on Fordham University's Lincoln Center campus. The event, titled "Francis@Five: Assessing the Legacy of Pope Francis Five Years After His Election," was a 90-minute discussion some observers described as "tense."
Though their discussion was civil, and no one was accused of heresy, the two presented sharply contrasting assessments of what the first five years of Pope Francis' papacy have meant for the Church and its future.
The discussion was moderated by David Gibson, the director of Fordham University's Center on Religion and Culture.