Jesuitical

It’s a very special week on “Jesuitical”—Ethan Hawke joins us to discuss his new film, “Wildcat,” about the Catholic writer Flannery O’Connor, who is portrayed in the film by Ethan’s daughter, Maya. Zac, Ashley and Ethan share a wide-ranging and profound conversation about this great American writer and the work of bringing her to life in “Wildcat.”They discuss: Ethan’s introduction to Flannery through Maya and the inspiration behind “Wildcat” Portraying Flannery’s complicated views on race Exploring religious questions through art Links from the show: Ethan Hawke’s new biopic ‘Wildcat’ gracefully captures Flannery O’Connor’s complex attitudes on race, writing and faith What can we learn from our confirmation names? Share your confirmation saint name in our Facebook group What’s on tap?Flannery’s favorite concoction: Coca-Cola and coffee (plus a shot of bourbon, per Ethan’s recommendation) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on “Jesuitical,” we’re breaking from our usual format to discuss news out of the Vatican that Pope Francis used a homophobic slur while discussing church policy on admitting gay men to the priesthood. To discuss this incident and the apology that followed, Ashley is joined by “Jesuitical” producer Sebastian Gomes; Mike O’Loughlin, executive director of Outreach, a resource for L.G.B.T.Q. Catholics; and Ricardo da Silva, S.J., producer of the “Inside the Vatican” podcast, host of the “Preach” podcast and an associate editor at America.They discuss: The context of the incident, the Vatican’s response, and the implications for L.G.B.T.Q. CatholicsVatican policy about gay men in seminaries and the history of Francis’ outreach to L.G.B.T.Q. CatholicsAdvice for those affected by the pope’s commentsLinks from the show: I am a gay priest. We need more than an apology for Pope Francis’ homophobic slur.Pope Francis used an anti-gay slur. What now for L.G.B.T.Q. Catholics?Pope Francis says Italian seminaries should reject gay applicantsVatican issues apology after Pope Francis’ use of an anti-gay slurPope Francis’ remarks about gay seminarians ‘taken out of context and used to divide,’ Italian bishop says Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley are live at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, for a conversation with Eric Sundrup, S.J., who provides spiritual direction (or spiritual violence, depending on who you ask) for the podcast. The hosts and Eric share their own experiences discerning their paths as young adults and offer insights from Jesuit spirituality to young people navigating big life questions.They discuss:The need for community and friends you can be vulnerable with while discerningHow consolation and desolation can guide discernmentAdvice for young people discerning their pathDuring Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley are joined by Stuart Wilson-Smith, C.S.P., the Catholic chaplain at the University of California, Los Angeles, to discuss the recent student protests taking place on campus. Father Stu describes the scene on U.C.L.A.’s campus, how the Catholic center offered support and spaces for interfaith dialogue to students, and where he saw God amid the protests.Links from the show: UCLA’s Catholic chaplain: The world saw scenes of violence at campus protests. Here’s what they didn’t see.Learn more about the PaulistsWhat’s on tap?Kentucky Bourbon from the Neeley Family Distillery  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Burge set out to learn how many Catholics agree with church teachings on three key pro-life issues: abortion, euthanasia and the death penalty. The answer? Fewer than 1 percent. This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley are joined by Ryan, an associate professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University and the author of the “Graphs about Religion” Substack, to discuss his findings on the beliefs of American Catholics today.They discuss:Trends in Catholic opinion on pro-life issues.How faith-based beliefs and secular politics interact in our polarized society.The role of data in understanding religious trends and effectively communicating church teaching.In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley discuss the eucharistic pilgrimages taking place ahead of July’s National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. They also cover the controversial commencement speech given by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker at Benedictine College.Links from the show:Cafeteria Catholicism?Planning to join up with the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage? Here’s what you need to know.Harrison Butker’s commencement speech and the danger of a Catholic ‘dead traditionalism’Young U.S. Catholics want more orthodoxy. That doesn’t mean they reject Vatican II.Podcast: When Catholic doctrine can change—and when it can’tWhat’s on tap?Carajillos (2 parts cold brew, 2 parts Licor 43) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Jesuitical, Zac and Ashley are joined by Andrea Von Kampen, a singer-songwriter and friend of the show. Hailing from Lincoln, Neb., Andrea discusses her new album, “Sister Moon.” (For those keeping track at home, yes, that is a St. Francis of Assisi reference.) Recorded at Union Pool in Brooklyn, N.Y., they share a wide-ranging conversation touching on spirituality, live music, the environment and more.They discuss:The spiritual and environmental influences on “Sister Moon”How Andrea writes about important issues without being preachyThe joys and challenges of touring as a singer-songwriter, especially post-CovidIn Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley cover the ins and outs of the recent synod meeting of parish priests at the Vatican. They also discuss a “home blessing challenge” in Cincinnati, then close out by talking about the Catholics who recently received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from a fellow Catholic, President Joe Biden.Links from the ShowSister MoonAndrea Von Kampen's websiteParish priests had a synod meeting with the Vatican. But will they be included in October’s assembly?Cincinnati priests compete to meet parishioners in home blessing challengeJesuit Father Gregory Boyle and Nancy Pelosi to be awarded the Presidential Medal of FreedomFrancesco: A Pope Francis DocumentaryWhat’s on tap?Nine Pin Hard Cider Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Jesuitical, Zac and Ashley share their conversation with Cardinal Wilton Gregory on the role of a church in a polarized society. As the Archbishop of Washington, D.C., “the epicenter of division,” Cardinal Gregory has devoted himself to bringing people together across vast political and faith-based differences, lending profound insight (and humor!) to this live conversation, which was hosted by Georgetown University’s Catholic Social Thought and Public Life and Leadership Roundtable.They discuss: Cardinal Gregory’s conversion as a boy and life as a priest Watching people come together through the synod, from diocesan meetings to the universal session in Rome The cardinal’s advice for young people who feel disengaged from politics During Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley are joined by one of Jesuitical’s assistant producers, Delaney Coyne, to break down a recent debacle surrounding an A.I. priest. They cover the laicization of Catholic Answers’ “Father Justin” and discuss the kind of insights this technology can—and can’t—provide.Want to advertise your school, ministry program, book or anything else on Jesuitical? Send us an email at jesuitical@americamedia.org Links from the showThe real lesson behind the ‘Father Justin’ AI priest debacle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Few events inspire a media spectacle quite like the election of a pope. The white smoke, cardinals locked in the Sistine Chapel, secret ballots and ancient rules—it’s catnip for secular and Catholic journalists alike. But how did these customs evolve—and how might they change in the future?To find out, Zac and Ashley talk with Miles Pattenden, a historian, expert in the history of papal conclaves and the author of Electing the Pope in Early Modern Italy, 1450-1700.They discuss:How the election of popes evolved from St. Peter to todayThe role of the Holy Spirit—and politicking—inside conclavesAnd whether the secrecy of conclaves can survive in a modern world that prizes transparencyIn Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley discuss a new Justice Department investigation into last year’s leaked F.B.I. memo about the potential domestic threat posed by “traditional Catholics.” Plus, in a talk about forgiveness, a Michigan bishop called on Catholics not to “hate” politicians like Joe Biden—and then called the president stupid. Want to advertise your school, ministry program, book or anything else on Jesuitical? Send us an email at jesuitical@americamedia.org Links from the show:No Bias Found in F.B.I. Report on Catholic ExtremistsBiden ‘doesn't understand the Catholic faith,’ bishop says: ‘I’m not angry at him, he’s just stupid’Electing the Pope in Early Modern Italy, 1450-1700, by Miles Pattenden MilesPattenden.comWhat’s on tap?Amaro Spritz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley are joined by Megan Nix, the author of Remedies for Sorrow: An Extraordinary Child, a Secret Kept from Pregnant Women, and a Mother's Pursuit of the Truth. The memoir details Megan’s journey after her daughter, Anna, contracted a little-known but relatively common congenital disease, cytomegalovirus, or CMV, during Megan’s pregnancy.They discuss: Megan’s experience of her daughter’s diagnosis and the lack of awareness and support surrounding CMVThe tension of loving Anna as she is and wanting to improve her quality of lifeHow St. Thomas Aquinas’s five remedies for sorrow helped Megan understand the joys and sorrows of raising a child with disabilitiesIn Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley talk about a recent proposal out of Baltimore that would cut the number of parishes from 61 to 21. They also cover an imposter priest wreaking havoc throughout the New York area and Pope Francis’ plans to reinstate Pope Benedict XVI’s former secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, as an apostolic nuncio.What’s on tap?A mojito (with fresh mint!)Links from the show:Baltimore archdiocese proposes cutting 61 parishes to 21 in the cityImposter Priest Who Robbed Catholic Churches Nationwide Arrested in CaliforniaAfter public rift, Francis restores Benedict XVI’s former secretary to Vatican serviceRemedies for Sorrow: An Extraordinary Child, a Secret Kept from Pregnant Women, and a Mother's Pursuit of the Truth Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley are joined by Amir Hussain, a theology professor at Loyola Marymount University. Amir shares his insights about navigating life as a Muslim teaching theology at a Catholic university, prompting a conversation ranging from the imperative and blessings of interfaith dialogue to life without a cell phone.They also cover:Amir’s experience completing the Spiritual Exercises of St. IgnatiusThe history and diversity of Muslims in the United StatesFinding common ground and sharing experiences with people of different faithsIn Signs of the Times, Jesuitical’s producer, Sebastian Gomes, and “Inside the Vatican” host Colleen Dulle join Ashley to break down “Dignitas Infinita,” the recent declaration from the Vatican covering issues surrounding human dignity like gender theory, human trafficking, surrogacy and more.What’s on tap?BoulevardierLinks from the show:New Vatican doc ‘Dignitas Infinita’: What it says on gender theory, surrogacy, poverty and moreColleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell discuss Dignitas Infinita on “Inside the Vatican”What meeting John Wooden taught a Muslim theologian about Jesuit educationMuslims and the Making of America Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Aug. 19, 2014, the world watched in horror as the American journalist James Foley read a script prepared for him by ISIS terrorists, who filmed him from an unknown location in the Syrian desert. Mr. Foley, who had been in ISIS captivity for almost two years, was then beheaded by his captors. That is how Diane Foley learned that her son, who had been kidnapped in Libya on a previous reporting trip, would not be coming home this time.In the new book, American Mother, Diane teams up with Colum McCann, an award-winning and international best-selling author, to tell her and her son’s story. Both authors join Zac and Ashley this week for a powerful conversation about grief, forgiveness and perseverance.They discuss:How Diane’s son James discovered his vocation as a journalist Why Diane decided to meet with one of her son’s killers How her Catholic faith sustained her through James’s years of captivity and after his deathIn Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley discuss a new book of interviews with Pope Francis, in which he discusses his relationship with Pope Benedict XVI and the conclave that elected him and his predecessor. Plus, Cardinal Wilton Gregory calls President Biden a “cafeteria Catholic” during an appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Easter Sunday, and the Society of Jesus releases a strongly worded statement on the war in Gaza.Links from the show:Pope Francis opens up about Benedict XVI, past conclaves and more in new bookImportant U.S. cardinal says Biden is a ‘cafeteria Catholic’‘We cannot be silent’: A statement from the Jesuits on GazaAmerican Mother, by Colum McCann with Diane FoleyBonus episodes available now through Patreon:​​The quirky history of papal conclavesCardinal Gregory on young people, politics and becoming a listening churchLive show!If you live in the Cincinnati area, you’re invited to join Zac, Ashley and Father Eric Sundrup (Jesuitical’s spiritual director) for a live show at Xavier University, on Tuesday, April 9, 6:30-7:30 pm. The event will be held in the Conatan Board Room in Schmidt Hall and will be followed by Mass. What’s on tap?Cielo prosecco, a.k.a, Easter Bubbly Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices