All right, welcome listeners to episode 113 of Know Your Enemy. I'm Matt Sitman, your podcast co-host, and I'm here as always with my great friend Sam at their bell. Hey, Sam. Hi, Matt. This episode, it's a little somber. It's about Pope Francis who died Monday, April 21st at the age of 88. A lot of listeners wanted us to do an episode about him, and so we did. Although,

you know, I said it's somber, but as a Christian, I believe that Francis, he's not so much gone,

but has changed form, you might say. But it is sad. You know, he was the only Pope I've known

as a Catholic. I got to meet him last year. And despite all his flaws and problems,

he was a Christian leader I deeply admired and whose influence on my spiritual life has been profound.

Can I ask you a question actually that we didn't get to talk about? How did you feel or respond

when you got the news? Believe it or not, I was having

trouble sleeping Sunday night and I got up at 4 a.m. I don't know why. I just got up and I made the

mistake of picking up my phone and opening Twitter. But what's wild it is, I opened the app within five minutes of the Vatican announcing that

Francis had died.

So I saw it and it was just like, I wasn't surprised, but it was shocking still.

It was kind of a discombobulating moment to experience that at 4 in the morning on a Sunday night.

Did you feel different?

Well, yes, in the sense that, I mean, I was sad personally, but I think the thing that surprised

me was that I think I was underestimating how important it was for my psyche, that no matter

what else was happening in the world, Pope Francis was the leader of the largest body of Christians in the world.

And he was someone who, again, for all his flaws and failures, that was a comfort to me.

That someone like him who believed what he did and stood up for what he did was a moral presence in our world. That absence of

that I have felt in a way that has surprised me. Yeah. I think I feel that too. Well, should we do a little

housekeeping? Yes, we should do some housekeeping. I want to say, first of all, thank you to all the

New Year Enemy listeners who came to the dissent fundraiser a couple weeks ago.

The turnout was great, and we met so many listeners, including people who, you know, heard about it through us mentioning on the podcast.

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