Katie Couric Cheers Pope Francis's 'Tolerance and Compassion"

April 1st, 2015 5:15 PM

Katie Couric once again marveled over the "tolerance and compassion" of Pope Francis. Asked by Time about who her "dream interview" would be, the former network anchor gushed over the new pontiff. In the April 6 magazine, the liberal journalist enthused over Francis: "He’s such a transformative figure. He has expressed some attitudes of tolerance and compassion and some Jesuit values that I really admire." 

In November of 2013, Couric told Gotham magazine something similar, praising "the Pope because he’s been surprisingly forward thinking and outspoken." 

Asked by Time what makes a good anchor, Couric complained about her treatment: 

What makes a good anchor?

Someone who’s experienced and who has credibility. When I came to CBS, people said I lacked gravitas, which was frankly an unfair assessment. I had probably done more interviews than most of the sitting anchors, and certainly my share of hard-hitting ones. I always said “gravitas” was Latin for “testicles.

The "gravitas" line is one that Couric repeats over and over. In May of 2012, she gave the commencement address to the University of Virginia and lamented, " Some said I lacked ‘gravitas,’ which I’ve since decided is Latin for ‘testicles.'"

On April 4, 2011, she told the New York Times that gravitas "is Latin for “testicles” 

Couric might need to get some new material.