I care to the extent that it impacts public policy , and therefore my life, for ill.

As for Pope Francis, he's enlightened as popes go, which is sort of like saying twice nothing is still nothing. The thing that hamstrings a relatively progressive Catholic like himself is that in leading a church that's based on tradition, ritual and dogma, he can't make any actual official changes outright, he has to convince people to apply the spirit of the law rather than the letter, get them used to new thinking over many generations and then quietly change the dogma when no one is looking. And of course have your initiatives survive your successors, some of whom will be typical legalists with a broomstick up their ass.

I mean, the RCC just since the turn of this century finally admitted they were wrong about Galileo -- even something that bleeding obvious took them hundreds of years to own up to.

So go easy on Pope Frank, he's got a hard row to hoe.

Nope... they need our rationality and technology to survive, not the other way around

The only reason I can think of that agnostics should care what religious leaders say, is the same for why they should care what any powerful person says... it has some effect on the world we all have to live in. Francis is a helluva lot better in this regard than his predecessor.

This is a truly profound question. I can easily see two sides and what I would consider. There are those leaders we see on Sundays morning standing at the head of their flock asking for money, I think not. And then there are the true men of faith. The true ascetics. The pope, Buddhist monks, Dalai Lama. This would be a gift of a life time. To touch on the wisdom that they hold would-be amazing.

I don't listen to religious leaders say, after all they believe in mythology.

I don't know that I'd consider it enlightened thinking so much as I would tolerance and acceptance of something other than your own belief system. But, I agree with @resserts. It's a step in the right direction. It would be wonderful if all of Christendom would listen to this Pope. But, we'll be lucky if 20% of just Catholics do on this one.

I don't know that I care too much what religious leaders have to say, other than I like to see these more moderate approaches. I think it's a step in the right direction, at least.