Welcome to Jesuitical, a podcast for young Catholics hosted by two young, lay editors at America—Zac Davis and Ashley McKinless. Each episode features a guest w...
Trump’s clashes with the Catholic Church, Pope health update and history of the Lenten Rice Bowl
On “Jesuitical” this week, Zac and Ashley chat with Kim Daniels, the director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University. Kim is a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication, and served in the 2021-24 Synod on Synodality as an expert participant, as a member of the Synod Communications Commission, and as the coordinator of one of the 10 major Synod study groups, which focused on the church’s mission in the digital environment.
Zac, Ashley and Kim discuss:
- How the Catholic Church is responding to the Trump administration’s cuts to USAID
- Kim’s vision for implementing Catholic social teaching in the digital age
- How the church and government partner to serve communities, including some myth-busting about where funds go and how they’re used
In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley are joined by Bill O’Keefe, the executive vice president for mission, mobilization and advocacy at Catholic Relief Services, to discuss the 50th anniversary of C.R.S. Rice Bowl—an ecumenical response to the problem of world hunger. Plus: an update on Pope Francis’ health, and the Trump administration terminates the U.S. bishops’ refugee resettlement contract.
Links for further reading:
Trump administration terminates US bishops’ refugee resettlement contract
I led Catholic Relief Services. I’ve seen USAID projects change lives.
Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life
Pope Francis’ hospitalization: The complex picture, three weeks in
Former USCCB spokesperson Kim Daniels appointed to Vatican commission
The interfaith history of the C.R.S. Rice Bowl
The Mission of C.R.S. Rice Bowl
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56:50
Pope Francis speaks for the first time from hospital
After 21 days of hospitalization, Pope Francis sent a brief message of thanks that was played for those praying for him in St. Peter's Square the night of March 6.
Read Gerard O'Connell's report on the message here.
Visit americamagazine.org for the latest on Pope Francis' health.
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2:32
How failing Lent can help you grow in holiness
On “Jesuitical” this week, Zac and Ashley are joined by Sister Josephine Garrett, a sister of the Holy Family of Nazareth, a licensed counselor, host of the “Hope Stories” podcast and the author of the new book, Wilderness Within: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation. Presently a counselor in private practice, Sister Josephine earned a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology in 2019. Prior to entering religious life, she worked as vice president in the home loans division of Bank of America. She resides in Tyler, Tex.
Zac, Ashley and Sister Josephine discuss:
- The challenges (and graces) that emerge in the spiritual wilderness
- How therapy and counseling compare to spiritual direction and prayer
- Why Lent promotes deeper reflections on our relationships with others and ourselves
In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley are joined by America’s editor at large, James Martin, S.J., to give an update on Pope Francis’ health after his 13th day in Gemelli Hospital, where he is being treated for pneumonia in both of his lungs. They also discuss Father Martin’s viral prayer for the pope during his illness, which is linked below.
Links for further reading:
Wilderness Within: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation
A prayer for Pope Francis during his grave illness
Update: Pope Francis’ CT scan shows ‘normal progression of the lung inflammation’
Pope Francis beats back speculation of imminent death or conclave as he continues pneumonia recovery
Hope Stories with Sr. Josephine Garrett, CSFN
Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth
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52:18
Pope Francis health update, and a Jesuit guide to thinking about science and faith
Joining Ashley and Zac to cover the cosmos on this week’s episode of “Jesuitical” is Guy Consolmagno, S.J., the director of the Vatican Observatory and author of the new book, A Jesuit’s Guide to the Stars: Exploring Wonder, Beauty, and Science. A research astronomer, physicist and Jesuit brother, he has served at the Vatican Observatory since 1993, and in 2015 Pope Francis appointed him director. He is the author of God’s Mechanics and co-author of Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial? and Turn Left at Orion.
Zac, Ashley and Brother Guy discuss:
- The relationship between science, theology and faith—how science points to God and God enables science
- Brother Guy’s passion for teaching science and inspiring “oh my God” moments in his students
- Brother Guy’s vocation story and the history of Jesuits making scientific advancements
In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley unpack Pope Francis’ recent hospitalization for a respiratory infection, later confirmed as double pneumonia. As of Thursday, Feb. 20, he is stable, without fever and in good spirits.
Links for further reading:
A Jesuit’s Guide to the Stars: Exploring Wonder, Beauty, and Science
Pope Francis, battling double pneumonia, ‘alert and responsive,’ according to Italian PM
Cardinals push back on rumors Pope Francis will resign while in hospital
Three ways Pope Francis should fix the procedures for papal illness, death and elections
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52:41
Pope Francis schools JD Vance, and how medieval mysticism can rock your spiritual world
On “Jesuitical” this week, Zac and Ashley chat with Simon Critchley, the Hans Jonas Professor of Philosophy at the New School for Social Research in New York and a Director of the Onassis Foundation, about his new book, Mysticism. Among the most prolific of modern academic philosophers, Simon has written over twenty books, from works of philosophy to studies on topics from Greek tragedy and dead philosophers to David Bowie, football and suicide.
Zac, Ashley and Simon discuss:
- The historical development of the concept of “mysticism,” how it was suppressed during the Reformation and its resurgent relevance for today.
- Emotionally-charged forms of piety in the high Middle Ages among women mystics like Julian of Norwich
- How modern mysticism can provide access to the sacred and transcendent in a melancholic world
In Signs of the Times, Zac is joined by Fr. Sam Sawyer, S.J., editor-in-chief of America, for a conversation about Pope Francis’ strongly worded letter of support to the Catholic bishops of the United States in which he denounced the mass deportation of undocumented migrants initiated by President Donald Trump, and corrected Vice President JD Vance’s theology.
Links for further reading:
Mysticism by Simon Critchley
Pope Francis’ letter, JD Vance’s ‘ordo amoris’ and what the Gospel asks of all of us on immigration
Pope Francis to U.S. Catholic bishops: Oppose mass deportations
What’s on tap?
Gin Martini
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Welcome to Jesuitical, a podcast for young Catholics hosted by two young, lay editors at America—Zac Davis and Ashley McKinless. Each episode features a guest who offers a unique perspective on faith, culture or current events. We also bring you some of the top (and maybe more obscure) Catholic news of the week. And we'll ask: Where do we find God in all this?
Colombia