‘The Church needs to change; the Church cannot afford to change,’ Colm Tóibín wrote recently in the LRB. In this episode of the podcast, he joins Tom to discuss how the new pope will have to navigate this paradox. He also looks back at the Francis papacy, and the way that Francis behind his smile ran the Vatican with an iron first; at relations between the ... Show More
Nov 21
Aftershock: The War on Terror – Episode 1: With Us or Against Us
In the days after 9/11, George W. Bush declared a state of emergency and initiated what would become an unprecedented expansion of US power. Public debate narrowed: there were new limits on what was acceptable, and not acceptable, to say. The London Review of Books published a nu ... Show More
44m 54s
Nov 15
Introducing ‘Aftershock: The War on Terror’
After 9/11, George W. Bush launched a global War on Terror. What followed was an unprecedented expansion of American power, from Guantánamo Bay to drone strikes, mass surveillance to the weaponisation of the financial system. Asked when it would end, Vice-President Dick Cheney re ... Show More
3m 57s
May 2025
WOF 488: The Legacy of Pope Francis
<p>Pope Francis passed away at the age of eighty-eight on Easter Monday. He was the first pope from Latin America, the first Jesuit pope, and the first pope to take the name "Francis," after St. Francis of Assisi. What stood out in his twelve-year pontificate? How does his papacy ... Show More
35m 59s
Apr 2025
How Pope Francis Changed the Catholic Church
<p>Church bells rang out across the world on Monday to mark the death of Pope Francis at the age of 88.</p><p>Jason Horowitz, the Rome bureau chief at The New York Times, discusses the pope’s push to change the church, his bitter clashes with traditionalists, and what his papacy ... Show More
39m 20s
Jun 2025
Why the New Pope Is Taking on AI
The new head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV, is making artificial intelligence a signature issue. Last week, the Vatican hosted tech leaders at a two-day international AI conference in Rome. WSJ’s Margherita Stancati reports on why Silicon Valley is watching to see if Leo w ... Show More
20m 58s
May 2025
Pope Leo XIV: The American Pope
In this episode of the Catholic Talk Show, Ryan is joined by Dr. Matthew Bunsen to discuss his new book on Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope. He shares insights from his experience covering the recent Conclave, the election of Cardinal Prevost, and the unique aspects of Leo's ... Show More
57m 14s
Apr 2025
The Meaning of Pope Francis
<p>The passing of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025 marked not just the end of a papacy but the end of an era in global politics. The moment in which Francis spoke before Congress a decade ago and identified Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, and Martin Luther King as models of Christian m ... Show More
1h 24m
Apr 2025
About 250,000 People Paid Respects To Pope Francis Over 3 Days
With Pope Francis' funeral just hours away, the Vatican says about 250,000 paid their respects to the pontiff in St. Peter’s Basilica. Francis was known for his love of those on the margins - immigrants, the poor, those too often shunted aside. CNN’s Clarissa Ward talks with a fe ... Show More
45m 1s