All ears on NCR in trying to decipher pope's take on homosexuality

"Who am I to judge?" Pope Francis asked during a surprise in-flight news conference Monday. He was talking about gay priests, but what exactly did he mean? News outlets turned to National Catholic Reporter for context and illumination.

Senior correspondent John L. Allen Jr., who wrote the story with the dateline "Aboard the papal plane," was interviewed by Judy Woodruff on PBS NewsHour Monday night.

The Washington Post talked with blogger Michael Sean Winters, who said of Francis: "He is leading with mercy. He never wags his finger."

And listeners to NPR's "Morning Edition" on Tuesday heard NCR's new senior analyst, Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese, give his take on the pope's comments.