Life on the Papal beat: Francis may rewrite the role of Pope but maybe not the Vatican

Rachel Donadio was a Vatican reporter while Benedict was Pope. Things are a lot different under Francis she discovers.

IN the two short years since his election, Pope Francis has managed an unusual feat: He has become as beloved by the international news media and the secular intelligentsia as by his own flock of 1.2bn.

I got a taste of what has been called “the Francis effect” when, on a sweltering July day, I watched dozens of mayors from around the world gather at the Vatican for a two-day conference on climate change.