I'll give Pope Francis points for this one, though I imagine his reaction when the idea was first broached was, "Who's Ted?" But, hey, he's trying to reach new audiences, so why not?

But based on the TED talks I've heard, I suspect he's largely preaching to the choir. Most of these talks really aren't about the gee-whiz aspects of technology so much as how to allow tech to enhance the human experience -- or how to not allow what is essentially human to get overwhelmed by the rapid advances in tech.

Francis isn't saying anything new or radical here, but it's good stuff that's worth reiterating. My personal favorite: "The future is, most of all, in the hands of those people who recognize the other as a 'you' and themselves as part of an 'us.'"

Nothing wrong with that, especially in this era of the resurgence of nationalist regimes.