Two years ago, Pope Benedict XVI was chosen to succeed John Paul II - a tough act to follow, given the earlier pope's charisma and sense of history.

But philosophically speaking, the current pope has followed in the last pope's footsteps. And according to the AP's MARIA SANMINIATELLI, he's done it in red Prada shoes.

Sanminiatelli, an editor based in New York, just returned from a two-year stint as a reporter in the AP's Rome bureau - a stretch that began right around when the new pope came along. Just before the start of Easter weekend, she sat down with AP deputy international editor NICOLAS B. TATRO to offer a status check on the pope and the Roman Catholic Church, and to offer some insight about life in Rome.

Listen to some of what they discussed in this asap podcast.