Pope Francis - and who will be next?

This week’s bookshop frenzy for a new romantasy title - A Court of Splintered Harmony by Sarah J Maas - prompts some big questions. Why are romantasy plots so silly? Why do smart women love them anyway? And what does it all tell us about men, women and modern love? Come hither: T ...  Show more

Mushroom killer Erin Patterson will likely die in jail after the Victorian Court of Appeal rejected her bid for freedom and increased her sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Plus, an economist’s recession warning and Fantastic Furniture closes its las ...  Show more

The first American pope's pro-immigrant views have put him publicly at odds with Vice President JD Vance. How Pope Leo XIV's ancient Catholic order collides with the beliefs of a growing group of converts like Vance. This episode was produced by Amanda Lewellyn and Avishay Artsy, ...  Show more

On this episode of “Interesting Times,” Ross Douthat is joined by the Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and an editor of America Magazine, to reflect on the legacy of Pope Francis and the challenges facing the next papacy.

With Pope Francis' funeral, the world's 1.4 billion Catholics are turning the page on an era of reform and liberalism. Now, the Vatican faces the questions - what will its next chapter look like - and how will the next Pope wield the power of the Church? In this episode:  Kayode ...  Show more