Damian Thompson, associate editor at The Spectator and host of the Holy Smoke podcast, shares insights on the impending challenges facing the next Pope, highlighting doctrinal debates and financial woes. Fr Alexander Lucie-Smith, a Catholic theologian, joins to discuss the political intrigue of the upcoming papal conclave and the complex legacy of Pope Francis. They also tackle the ethical questions around AI recreating historical figures, like the resurrected footballer Lily Parr, and ponder the future of meaningful connections amidst rising technology.
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insights INSIGHT
Unprecedented Papal Challenges
The next pope faces unprecedented doctrinal confusion, especially on sexuality and communion for divorced/remarried people.
Financial crises and past sexual abuse cover-ups compound serious challenges for the Catholic Church.
insights INSIGHT
Francis's Grand Gestures Overshadow Reality
Pope Francis is remembered for big humanitarian gestures like welcoming refugees, but unpopular long-term effects were overlooked.
Practical refugee integration issues were largely unaddressed, leaving others to manage consequences.
insights INSIGHT
Cardinal Parolin's Controversy
Cardinal Parolin is a divisive figure criticized for a damaging China deal and financial scandals.
Despite apparent humility, his ambition and record raise serious doubts about his suitability as pope.
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‘Francis was a charismatic pope loved by most of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics’ writes Damian Thompson in the cover article this week. But few of them ‘grasp the scale of the crisis in the Church… The next Vicar of Christ, liberal or conservative’ faces ‘challenges that dwarf those that confronted any incoming pope in living memory’.
Ahead of Pope Francis’s funeral this weekend, Damian joined the podcast alongside the Catholic theologian Fr Alexander Lucie-Smith to unpack all the political intrigue underpinning the upcoming papal conclave. They say that he who enters the conclave as a pope, leaves as a cardinal – do we have any clues to who could emerge as Francis’s successor?(1:01)
Next: the ghastliness of AI ghouls
The late Lily Parr – a chain-smoking, 6ft, Lancastrian, lesbian pre-war footballer – has been resurrected via an AI avatar. All fun and games at first glance but, as Mary Wakefield writes in the magazine this week, what the AI’s creators have summoned is ‘a ghoul, a flimsy echo of Parr, infused with the spirit of Gen Z’, lacking the original’s character. Aside from the obvious issues, is this ethical, or even legal?
Mary worries that overworked and underpaid teachers could soon deploy AI to summon the spirit of Churchill or Shakespeare. How concerned should we be about AI creep? Mary joined the podcast to discuss. We thought who better to ask about AI than AI itself so ChatGPT’s latest AI model joined Mary to answer a few questions… (19:09)
And finally: long live long lunch!
Kenton Allen writes in defence of the traditional business lunch in the magazine this week. And it should be two hours at a minimum. This isn’t a ‘long’ lunch, he says, but a ‘proper’ lunch. What does the decline of the work lunch tell us about society today? Kenton joined the podcast alongside the Spectator’s restaurant critic Tanya Gold. They say there was a serious purpose to a long lunch, something being lost today by the modern workforce. Plus, they share their restaurant tips for the best long lunch. (27:46)
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