This Friday — just before the funeral Mass on Saturday — Gary Jansen and Pia de Solenni will be joining me for a discussion on the life and death and pontificate of Pope Francis. Obviously, he was controversial, but he also managed to get people talking about the Catholic Church and religious faith itself in new — maybe renewed? — ways. For good or ill, or is that to be determined?

I think Megan McArdle has the right idea:

https://twitter.com/asymmetricinfo/status/1914440902950707602

Register for Friday’s conversation here, which will include the opportunity for questions. If you register, we’ll also send you the link to the discussion on NRI’s YouTube page after the initial recording.

Gary Jansen is the executive editor of Loyola Press and a former executive editor of Penguin Random House, where he edited and published New York Times bestsellers by Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. He is also the author of several bestselling books, including The Healing Power of Praying the Rosary, Meditations at Midnight, Saints, Angels & Demons, The 15-Minute Prayer Solution, Station to Station, and the multi-award-winning MicroShifts: Transforming Your Life One Step at a Time. His illustrated children’s book, Remember Us with Smiles, co-written with his wife Grace, won the 2023 Christopher Award in the Books for Young People category.

Pia de Solenni serves as vice president of corporate engagement at IWP Capital. She is a moral theologian, ethicist, and cultural analyst (MoralTheologian.com). With a unique background in policy and academia, she has served in various posts such as chancellor of the Diocese of Orange, Calif., and theological adviser to the bishop. Her work has appeared in various publications, including America, the Wall Street Journal Europe, the Washington Post, National Catholic Reporter, the National Catholic Register, and many others. She is a consultant member of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas, and her doctoral dissertation was recognized by the academy with an award presented by Saint John Paul II. She earned her doctorate in moral theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. She lives in San Diego, Calif., with her husband.

In case you haven’t had a chance to read it, this is our editorial on the death of Pope Francis.

And here’s one of the things I wrote yesterday as the news broke.

And here’s yesterday’s chat with Grazie Christie about the first pope from the Americas and about his time in the U.S.