S9 Ep. 28: Liam Callanan on Trump Vs. the Pope

Acclaimed novelist Liam Callanan joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss American-born Pope Leo XIV’s recent conflicts with the Trump administration. Callanan, who is Catholic, contextualizes the pope’s critiques of the Iran war and other political comments within the long history of the Vatican’s outspokenness against social injustices. Callanan also talks about the heroine of his most recent novel, When in Rome, a realtor named Claire who finds herself torn between returning to an old flame and taking the veil. He explains Catholicism’s connections to writing and tells the story of his own surreal encounter with the magnetic Pope Francis, who passed away last year. Callanan previews the role faith plays in his upcoming nonfiction debut, Stone Age Astronaut, the biography of a record-setting aviator who becomes a priest. He reads from When in Rome. To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/This podcast is produced by Jennifer Maritza McCauley, V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell.Liam CallananWhen in RomeStone Age Astronaut: The Astonishing Adventures of America's Forgotten FlierParis by the BookListen & Other StoriesAll SaintsThe Cloud AtlasOthersTrump Attacks Pope Leo as Too Liberal and ‘Weak on Crime’ - The New York TimesJD Vance defends Trump amid spat with Pope Leo: ‘Stick to matters of morality’Pope Leo responds to Trump’s attack: ‘I’m not afraid of the Trump administration’Author Liam Callanan’s Work Is Animated by His Catholic FaithThe Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor DostoevskyAudience with participants in the Conference organized by “La Civiltà Cattolica” with Georgetown University, May 27, 2023See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.