RS Professors Share Their Expertise About the Papal Conclave
Professors live for the moment when what is happening in the world intersects with what they research and teach about. Dr. Elyse Raby has lived that experience this spring as she became a go-to expert for the media following the death of Pope Francis and during the conclave and election of the new American-born Pope, Leo XIII. One of Dr. Raby’s areas of scholarly expertise is ecclesiology (the study of the church), which has included writing about Pope Francis. She also teaches a course on “Pope Francis and the Future of the Church,” which she has been teaching this spring quarter. Her students in that class have had the privilege of taking a course from SCU’s resident expert as events were unfolding, often watching Dr. Raby’s live media appearances during class! In addition to frequent media appearances, she has also been an important resource for campus leaders as they prepared communications in response to the death of the Jesuit Francis and the election of his successor. We are grateful to have such an expert in our midst and congratulate Dr. Raby on her excellent work translating her expertise to a wider audience.
Here are links to some of her media appearances:
- On the death and funeral of Pope Francis: KTVU Fox San Francisco, April 21
- On the election of Pope Leo XIV: CBS Los Angeles, May 8, KCBS Radio, May 8, and Santa Clara Magazine
- And a fun look into the film Conclave, in conjunction with SCU’s Marketing & Communications: Behind the Smoke: What Really Happens in a Papal Conclave
Nor was Dr. Raby the only RS faculty member making media appearances about this historic event. Dr. Nicholas Hayes-Mota published an obituary of Pope Francis U.S. Catholic, "Pope Francis, Who Called Church to Peripheries, Dies at 88" and also made appearances on on KCBS Radio, "Ask An Expert" segment, "An In-Depth Look at How Pope Francis Shaped the Church Under His Papacy" and on ABC7 News 3 PM, Interview with Kristen Sze.
Dr. David DeCosse, of the Markkula Center and instructor of ethics courses in the RS department, also appeared on local media, including this on KPIX, the Bay Area CBS affiliate.