Check out these recent articles from around the web:

A ‘Francis imprint’ on US bishops may take time by John Allen: “Arguably, nothing a pope does is more decisive in shaping Catholic culture than appointing bishops, and that’s especially true for one who wants change. Francis has sketched a beguiling vision of a more merciful and compassionate church, one less invested in the culture wars, but pulling it off will require finding bishops to match.”

Rich People Just Care Less by Daniel Goleman: “Since the 1970s, the gap between the rich and everyone else has skyrocketed. Income inequality is at its highest level in a century. This widening gulf between the haves and have-less troubles me, but not for the obvious reasons. Apart from the financial inequities, I fear the expansion of an entirely different gap, caused by the inability to see oneself in a less advantaged person’s shoes. Reducing the economic gap may be impossible without also addressing the gap in empathy.”

Polio: A killer on the run by Michael Gerson: “Polio eradication is an enterprise now conducted at the frontiers of medicine and war — introducing vaccination into places that have never seen Western medicine and sometimes requiring negotiations with warlords and militias. In some places, the challenge is management; in others, security. The complexity can be frustrating. ‘It is like finishing a marathon,” one CDC expert told me, “and being told you have an extra mile to run.’ But these are struggles near the finish line of a landmark scientific achievement. And for those who doubt that any purpose of government can be essential, the daring, humane work of the CDC is a corrective.”

Pope Francis creates moments of connection on Assisi trip by Joshua McElwee: “The open-aired popemobile stopped Friday about a block northwest of the cathedral of this central Italian hamlet. Pope Francis climbed down and began to walk along a fenced area where people had gathered. He spent the next 10 minutes shaking hands and having short moments of conversation.”

Federal workers deserve a living wage by Simone Campbell, Naeem Baig, and David Saperstein: “Our faith compels us to address these fundamental moral and human rights issues. When workers toiling under the purview of the federal government aren’t making enough to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads, the president ought to do something to lift these workers out of poverty.”

Do you consume information? Or does it consume you? by Matthew Warner, The Radical Life: “We’ve become information gluttons. Lacking the discipline to control our information appetite. Lacking the humility of our limitations. And lacking the faith to know that God has already given us the ability and grace to accomplish everything today in order to live an extraordinary life.”

A Long and Winding Road by Paddy Gilger, SJ: “So, that’s my best answer as to why it takes so long to be a priest in this Jesuit way. Because we need each year to chip away a little bit at the crust of ego and pride that prevents God’s grace from running through us smooth and clean.”

Here’s the Best Thing the U.S. Has Done in Afghanistan by Justin Sandefur: “The survey showed that from 2004 to 2010, life expectancy had risen from just 42 years—the second lowest rate in the world—to 62 years, driven by a sharp decline in child mortality. As a result, nearly 100,000 Afghan children per year who previously would have died now don’t.”

Francis’ ‘older son’ problem; red herrings; and pingpong on financial reform by John Allen: “There are an awful lot of such prodigals, of course, which helps explain the pope’s massive appeal. Yet there are also a few Catholics today who feel a bit like the story’s older son, wondering if what they’ve always understood as their loyalty to the church, and to the papacy, is being under-valued.”

The Gilded Age, Then and Now by Morning’s Minion: “Given that we are in a second Gilded Age, coming out of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, the time has come for a new direction. And with the papacy of Pope Francis, I am optimistic. I look forward to a shift backwards – toward an older way of thinking and acting. Some say the Church thinks in centuries, and certainly what it thought a century ago matters for today too. More than ever.”