At Ohio Dominican University in Columbus this week

I’ll be speaking at Ohio Dominican University in Columbus this Tuesday at 7 p.m. The topic is “Decoding the Vatican,” and that’s what I find myself doing in most of the talks I’ve been giving lately.

Despite a new pope who communicates pretty directly, I find that the Vatican still needs decoding. I also find that what’s on most people’s minds is whether Pope Francis can possibly succeed in the reforms he’s undertaken, and whether his inspiring words will be followed by changes in structures and attitudes and ways of doing things in the church. There is a great deal of interest in the Vatican right now, and it’s great to see big audiences with lots of questions.