Next Pope May Need To Hear Broad Range Of Catholic Voices, Scholar Says

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St. Peter's Basilica.

Pope Benedict’s surprise announcement that he would leave his post at the end of the month is prompting plenty of reflection on his papacy and the state of the Church among Catholics, from clergy to laypersons to scholars.

Michele Dillon is such a scholar. She's a professor of sociology at the University of New Hampshire and has written extensively about Catholicism, both in the US and in the rest of the world. She talks with All Things Considered host Brady Carlson about the pope's tenure and what may come next for the Catholic Church.