From KCRW in Santa Monica and PRI, Public Radio International, this is To the Point.

Pope Francis, the church and the culture wars.

Hello again, I'm Warren Alney, and this is To the Poet from Public Radio International,

a daily look at the issues Americans care about most.

Since Pope Francis was elected in March, he has challenged the Roman Catholic establishment

using words like obsessed and narcissistic. Instead of abortion, gay marriage, and contraception,

he's emphasized social justice in the plight of the poor. But he hasn't changed a word of church

doctrine. Is he a liberal poised to come out of a theological closet,

or a master of public relations who can make hard teachings go down easy?

He's already an immensely popular figure worldwide.

Will he change the church in America?

And why should non-Catholics care?

Today's talking point, Syria's chemical weapons and the Nobel Prize.

First, here's the news.

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Hello again, Mormon Only, back with To The Point. The First Pope from outside Europe has rocked the Vatican.

Liberal and conservative Catholics are waiting to hear what Pope Francis will say or do next.

We'll hear a variety of opinions about his style, his doctrine, and his potential influence worldwide, and here in America.

Today's talking point. This year's Nobel Peace Prize goes to the organization that is currently dismantling and

destroying Syria's chemical weapons in the midst of a civil war. First of this news update.

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