Pope Leo XIV appears on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, May 8, 2025 (Dylan Martinez/Reuters)

EA on WION: The Life of Pope Francis and What’s Next for Catholic Church

I joined Ireland’s RTE and BBC Radio Scotland to analyze two developing stories: the India-Pakistan clashes over Kashmir and the confirmation of Pope Leo XIV, Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago and Peru.

Watch RTE 1’s Prime Time from 36:29

I chat with Miriam O’Callaghan about the latest situation between India and Pakistan, cutting through claims and disinformation about the attacks from both sides. I evaluate whether this could escalate into war, and explain why the Trump Administration has put itself on the sidelines.

An extract from the conversation:

I also contribute to the programme’s discussion of the new Pope, drawing upon lessons learned from my father, a preacher in the southern US.

Listen to BBC Radio Scotland from 47:41

I consider the life and ministry of Pope Leo XIV, from Chicago to ministry in Peru to high office in Rome. I discuss his emphasis on support of the poor and workers and on social justice, and set his position on immigration — including the “disappearance” of migrants by the Trump Administration into a foreign maximum-security prison — against that of Donald Trump and J.D. Vance.