How will the next Pope wield the power of the...

Lebanon and Israel are holding their first direct talks in decades. But as Israel considers Hezbollah a threat, is a lasting peace agreement possible? And how much influence does Iran have in Lebanon? In this episode: Joe Macaron, Middle East geopolitical analyst Yossi Mekelberg, ...  Show more

China tells its ally Iran that the Strait of Hormuz must be reopened. International leaders have been visiting Beijing almost daily, underlining its importance in the crisis. So what's the impact of the war on China, and what role is it playing? Host: James Bays In this episode: ...  Show more

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

White smoke from the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City on Thursday 8th May announced that a new Pope had been elected. Pope Leo XIV is the 267th Pope to be exact and the first American. He also has Peruvian citizenship.In this episode we’re going to explain what we know about the ne ...  Show more

‘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 Franci ...  Show more

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