Norah O'Donnell interview with Pope Francis gets primetime special on CBS tonight, May 20

Pope Francis and Norah O'Donnell
Pope Francis and Norah O'Donnell (Image credit: CBS News/Adam Verdugo)

It's not every day that the leader of the Catholic Church agrees to sit down for an interview, even one as revolutionary and modern as Pope Francis has been in his tenure. CBS and Norah O'Donnell know this, which is why after airing a portion of the interview during the May 19 episode of 60 Minutes, CBS News is airing an hour-long version of the interview in primetime for more to tune in.

The special, CBS News: An Interview with the Pope, airs on Monday, May 20, at 10 pm ET/PT on CBS. Anyone with a traditional TV subscription or a TV antenna can watch the interview live. If you've cut the cord, live TV streaming services like Fubo, Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV carry CBS and will allow you to watch live. Another option is Paramount Plus; you can watch live if you sign up for Paramount Plus with Showtime, or watch it on-demand via the Paramount Plus Essential subscription.

Here is the official description of the interview per CBS:

"As war and crises continue to engulf Ukraine, Israel and Gaza, Francis speaks to O’Donnell about the state of the world today, the plight of migrants in the US and abroad and the Catholic Church's first World Children's Day. He also addresses controversies the Church has faced over the past decades and the steps he’s taken to bring the traditional institution into a modern era."

Pope Francis, the first pontiff from the Americas, was voted into the position following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in 2013. In the more than 10 years since he has been pope, Pope Francis has taken many steps to try and modernize the church, including permitting the blessings of same-sex couples (not to be confused with permitting same-sex marriages) and taking action on climate change, among other stances that differ from most of his predecessors.

Taking on the task of interviewing him is O'Donnell, a two-time Emmy-winning news reporter, lead anchor on CBS Evening News and a correspondent for 60 Minutes.

In addition to this interview with the pope, CBS News has aired many major interviews in recent years on primetime. Among them were interviews with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, as well as Adele (both of those were conducted by Oprah).

Watch a video preview of the interview with Pope Francis right here:

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Michael Balderston
Assistant Managing Editor

Michael Balderston is What to Watch’s assistant managing editor and lead movie writer, covering movies coming to theaters, writing movie reviews and highlighting new and classic movies on streaming services; he also covers a range of TV shows, including those in the Taylor Sheridan universe, Slow Horses, Only Murders in the Building, Jeopardy!, Saturday Night Live and more, as well as the best ways to watch some major US sporting events.

Based outside of Washington, D.C., Michael's previous experience includes writing for Awards Circuit, TV Technology and The Wrap.

Michael’s favorite movie of all time is Casablanca, while his favorite TV show is Seinfeld. Some 2025 favorites include One of Them Days and Black Bag for movies, and The Pitt on TV. Follow on Letterboxd to keep up with what I'm watching.

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