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An Expert Guide to the Papacy and Pope Francis

Apr 24, 2025

4 min

Brett Grainger, ThDMichael Moreland, JD, PhDIlia Delio, OSF, PhDJaisy A. Joseph, PhD

The death of Pope Francis marks a pivotal moment for the Catholic Church, ending a papacy that redefined the Church's relationship with the modern world. As the College of Cardinals prepares to gather in conclave, Catholics across the globe are closely watching to see whether the next pontiff will build upon Francis' legacy or chart a new course. The following experts are available to provide insight into a range of related topics, including Pope Francis' enduring impact and what lies ahead for the world's 1.4 billion Catholics:


Massimo Faggioli, PhD

Professor, Theology and Religious Studies


Dr. Massimo Faggioli is a world-renowned expert on the history and administrative inner workings of the Catholic Church, with specific expertise in the papacy, Vatican II, the Roman Curia, liturgical reform, new Catholic movements and Catholicism and global politics.


As quoted on NPR: "Historically, we see in different conclaves a certain swinging of the pendulum. What the conclave and the next pope cannot do is to ignore and deny the changing features of global Catholicism, which is much less European, much less white, less North American and more Global South..."




Kevin Hughes, PhD

Chair, Theology and Religious Studies


Dr. Kevin Hughes is a leading historical theologian, offering insights into the life, legacy and impact of Pope Francis. He can also speak to the significance of the pope in Catholicism and the influence of his teachings on the global Catholic Church.


As quoted on Scripps News: "[Pope Francis' selection] was really the Church extending beyond the limits of its European imagination. His Latin American identity was really crucial to embracing a new moment within the Church and opening the door in so many ways, and I think he bore witness to that throughout his papacy."



Jaisy Joseph, PhD

Assistant Professor, Systematic and Constructive Theology


Dr. Jaisy Joseph is a trained ecclesiologist, able to address a wide range of topics relating to the papacy, conclave process and Catholic Church. Previously, she has commented on the Church's presence in Asia and the Global South, offering expert commentary on its growth, challenges and shifting influence.


As quoted by ABC News Digital: "[The election of someone from the Global South would be] a move in that direction of how to be a global church. That move from a Eurocentric church to a truly global church—I think that's what Francis really inaugurated."




Patrick Brennan, JD

Professor of Law; John F. Scarpa Chair in Catholic Legal Studies


Professor Patrick Brennan is an expert on the conclave process and the main rules that govern it. He can also speak to topics such as the contemporary and historical importance of secrecy in the conclave, what the cardinals may be looking for in the next pope and the factors that cause similarities and differences from one conclave to the next. 


As quoted on Fox 29's Good Day Philadelphia: "The purpose of the general congregation is for the cardinals, who don't know each other in some cases, to get to know each other better as they learn about the current state of the Church and together decide on the needs of the Church and priorities for the new pontificate."



Brett Grainger, ThD

Associate Professor, Study of Spirituality and American Religious History


Dr. Brett Grainger is a go-to source for discussions of the changing face and role of modern spirituality in America. He serves as an expert on contemporary religious trends and can also speak to the broader public reaction to Pope Francis' passing, especially outside of the Catholic faith.


As quoted by Courthouse News Service: "People are disaffiliating from a tradition—that doesn't necessarily mean in fact that they don't believe in God anymore...What's more important is 'Is this giving me life? Is this making my life more meaningful? Is this giving me the kind of energy and purpose that I'm looking for?' That's where religion is going."



Michael Moreland, JD, PhD

Professor of Law and Religion; Director, Eleanor H. McCullen Center for Law, Religion and Public Policy


Dr. Michael Moreland is a renowned scholar of constitutional law, religious freedom, public policy and ethics. He can provide expert commentary on items related to the Catholic right and the state of religious politics in the United States.


As featured on NBC News Digital: Michael Moreland said the mass appeal of "Conclave" captured how, even in a secular modern age, there is still pervasive intrigue around "the ancient rituals of the Catholic Church." "The significance of the theological and spiritual aspects of Catholicism and this process of electing a pope was kind of reduced into partisan politics," he said.




Ilia Delio, OSF, PhD

Josephine C. Connelly Endowed Chair in Christian Theology


Sr. Ilia Delio addresses topics in her work such as theology and evolution, technology and human becoming and understandings of Catholicity in a world of complexity. She can provide expert insight into Laudato Si', Pope Francis' position on the environment, the relationship between science and religion and integral ecology.


As featured in the National Catholic Reporter: "We are clearly an Earth in crisis," with a reversal necessary to secure a sustainable future, said Ilia Delio... Delio posed a series of questions: about the relationship between religion and science; what Laudato Si', and Christianity more broadly, can offer ecological movements; and whether the concept of kinship or creation as family might better reflect humanity's place within nature than "care for creation."


To speak with any of these media experts, please contact mediaexperts@villanova.edu.


Connect with:
Brett Grainger, ThD

Brett Grainger, ThD

Associate Professor of Theology and Religious Studies | College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Brett Grainger, ThD, researches the changing face of modern spirituality in America and how various religions view the natural world.

EvangelicalismReligion and NatureModern SpiritualityAmerican Religious HistoryHistory of Christianity
Michael Moreland, JD, PhD

Michael Moreland, JD, PhD

Professor of Law and Religion; Director, Eleanor H. McCullen Center for Law, Religion and Public Policy | Charles Widger School of Law

Michael Moreland, JD, PhD, is an expert in the areas of law and religion, free speech, constitutional law and bioethics.

Supreme CourtFree SpeechSupreme Court Nomination ProcessLaw and ReligionConstitutional Law
Ilia Delio, OSF, PhD

Ilia Delio, OSF, PhD

Josephine C. Connelly Endowed Chair in Theology| College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Sister Ilia Delio, OSF, PhD, works to find a new unity and synthesis in science and religion.

TheologyNeuroscienceArtificial Intelligence and BecomingCulture and ReligionCatholicity
Jaisy A. Joseph, PhD

Jaisy A. Joseph, PhD

Assistant Professor of Theology and Religious Studies

Jaisy A. Joseph, PhD, is an expert in the study of unity and difference in the global church, synodality and the Eastern Catholic churches.

Pope Leo XIVEastern Catholic ChurchesSynodalityAsian/Asian American TheologyPostcolonial/Decolonial Theory

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4 min

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4 min

Villanova Astrophysicist Joey Neilsen, PhD, Plays Prominent Role in Groundbreaking XRISM Collaboration Study

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GX13+1 is a binary system consisting of a neutron star orbiting a K5 III companion star—a cooler giant star nearing the end of its life. Neutron stars are small, incredibly dense cores of supergiant stars that have undergone supernovae explosions. They are so dense, Dr. Neilsen says, that one teaspoon of its material would weigh about the same as Mount Everest. Because of this, they yield an incredibly strong gravitational field. When these highly compact neutron stars orbit companion stars, they can pull in, or accrete, material from that companion. That inflowing material forms a visible rotating disk of gas and dust called an accretion disk, which is extremely hot and shines brightly in X-rays. It’s so bright that sometimes it can actually drive matter away from the neutron star. “Imagine putting a giant lightbulb in a lake,” Dr. Neilsen said. “If it’s bright enough, it will start to boil that lake and then you would get steam, which flows away like a wind. It’s the same concept; the light can heat up and exert pressure on the accretion disk, launching a wind.” The original purpose of the study was to use XRISM to observe an accretion disk wind, with GX13+1 targeted specifically because its disk is persistently bright, it reliably produces winds, and it has been well studied using Chandra— NASA’s flagship X-ray observatory—and other telescopes for comparison. XRISM can measure the X-ray energies from these systems a factor of 10 more precisely than Chandra, allowing researchers to both demonstrate the capabilities of the new instrument and study the motion of outflowing gas around the neutron star. This can provide new insights into accretion processes. “It's like comparing a blurry image to a much sharper one,” Dr. Neilsen said. “The atomic physics hasn't changed, but you can see it much more clearly.” The researchers uncovered an exciting surprise when the higher-resolution spectrum showed much deeper absorption lines than expected. They determined that the wind was nearly opaque to X-rays and slow at “only” 1.4 million miles per hour—surprisingly leisurely for such a bright source. Based on the data, the team was able to infer that GX13+1 must have been even brighter than usual and undergoing a super-Eddington phase. So much material was ejected that it made GX13+1 appear fainter to the instrument. “There's a theoretical maximum luminosity that you can get out of an accreting object, called the Eddington limit. At that point, the radiation pressure from the light of the infalling gas is so large that it can actually hold the matter away,” Dr. Neilsen said, equating it to standing at the bottom of a waterfall and shining light so brightly that the waterfall stops. “What we saw was that GX13+1 had to have been near, or maybe even above, the Eddington limit.” The team compared their XRISM data from this super-Eddington phase to a set of previous observations without the resolution to measure the absorption lines directly. They found several older observations with faint, unusually shaped X-ray spectra similar to the one seen by XRISM. “XRISM explained these periods with funny-shaped spectra as not just anomalies, but the result of this phenomenally strong accretion disk wind in all its glory,” Dr. Neilsen said. “If we hadn’t caught this exact period with XRISM, we would never have understood those earlier data.” The connection suggests that this system spends roughly 10 percent of its time in a super-Eddington phase, which means super-Eddington accretion may be more common than previously understood—perhaps even following cycles—in neutron star or black hole binary systems. “Temporary super-Eddington phases might actually be a thing that accreting systems do, not just something unique to this system,” Dr. Neilsen said. “And if neutron stars and black holes are doing it, what about supermassive black holes? Perhaps this could pave the way for a deeper understanding of all these systems.”

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