#1708 Rent Asunder: From the Moderation of Pope Francis to Extremism of JD Vance, the Catholic Church is Deeply Divided

Air Date 5/2/2025

We're taking the passing of Pope Francis as an opportunity to explore the deeper political implications of the extremist, rightward turn for some in the Catholic Church, including many recent converts.

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Full Show Notes | Transcript

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KEY POINTS

KP 1: Why Pope Francis successor could have great influence on U.S. politics - MSNBC Reports - Air Date 4-23-25

KP 2: Trump Purges Military Leaders And Angela Denker On The Radicalization Of White Men - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 2-25-25

KP 3: The Meaning of Pope Francis - Know Your Enemy - Air Date 4-25-25

KP 4: Weekly Roundup The Pope, JD Vance, and Anti-Christian Bias - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 4-25-25

KP 5: Opus Dei A Catholic Cult with Gareth Gore - Free Thought Matters - Air Date 2-20-25

KP 6: To Understand JD Vance, You Need to Meet the TheoBros - Mother Jones - Air Date 10-2-24

KP 7: The Radical Catholic Right from Paul Weyrich to JD Vance Part 1 - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 9-23-24

(53:23) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

On the benefits of democracy

DEEPER DIVES

(1:04:00) SECTION A: THE POPE

(1:22:49) SECTION B: IN POLICY

(1:43:34) SECTION C: POST-LIBERAL CATHOLICS

(2:17:50) SECTION D: MEN

SHOW IMAGE CREDITS 

Description: Composite image. Showing a disgruntled looking JD Vance looking toward an image of Pope Francis smiling while blessing a child in a crowd. A quote in a box says “What is built on the basis of force, and not on the truth about the equal dignity of every human being, begins badly, and will end badly.”

Credit: Design by A. Hoffman | Components: “JD Vance” Gage Skidmore, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped, used in composite |  “Blessing of children pope” by ansehen, Pixabay | License: Pixabay

Produced by Jay!

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