From editorial director of news Kate Shellnutt: When I watched Conclave last month, Pope Francis was in the hospital with reports of his condition worsening, so I started thinking about how Christianity Today, as a Protestant publication, might cover his death and the selection of the new pope when the time comes.
 
Francis was elected soon after I started at CT in 2013. Back then, we ran lots of commentary and coverage around the Catholic leader who had been known as Jorge Bergoglio, including an interview with fellow Argentinian Luis Palau and a cover story on his crossover popularity. I realized I didn’t know what Protestant voices I’d ask in 2025 to weigh in on the next pope and the state of Catholic-evangelical relations—it’s something I haven’t followed very closely over the years.
 
I used to hear more about discussions between the traditions happening at seminaries. Perhaps I should be looking for such debates online these days, according to a recent piece at The Gospel Coalition on Catholic apologetics: “Italian Protestant pastor Leonardo De Chirico points out that it was once often perceived that evangelical Christians were proselytizing Roman Catholics. Now, it appears Rome is returning the favor in full force via YouTube and the internet.”