Ross Douthat is a well-known columnist at the New York Times. He is well known for many things, starting with being a conservative columnist at the flagship liberal newspaper. Adding insult to injury, or paradox to paradox, he is a Catholic, and not of the Maureen Dowd sort. The trait, however, does get us closer to the book in question, which deals with the vision and agenda of Pope Francis for the Church he currently heads. First, though, two more traits of Douthat the writer and thinker should be mentioned, both of which I admire from afar.
Douthat writes with sustained lucidity and even gracefulness. I would say that ‘he writes like an angel,' but he is very much flesh and blood, as a cryptic allusion to an ongoing illness indicates. But he's flesh and blood of a rare sort, exhibiting equanimity in controversy and a desire to understand, above all. He is also not given to imputing the worst motives to those he critiques. He very much takes the high road.
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