
312 episodes

Jesuitical America Media
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- Religion & Spirituality
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4.8 • 809 Ratings
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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?
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How Pope Francis laid the groundwork for his papacy
Ten years ago, Pope Francis released his first papal document, “Evangelii Gaudium,” which lays out his vision for the church in the 21st century. To help break down this inaugural document of Francis’ papacy, Zac and Ashley welcome Rafael Luciani, an associate professor of practice at the School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College.
They discuss:
Pope Francis’ call to “pastoral conversion” and “missionary discipleship”
How Pope Francis’ Latin American roots guide his vision for the church
The foundation for a synodal church put forth in “Evangelii Gaudium”
Links from the show:
Evangelii Gaudium
What’s on tap?
Wine from Mendoza, Argentina
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How a Southern Protestant learned to love Catholic social teaching
This week on Jesuitical, Zac and Ashley welcome Lee C. Camp, a professor of theology and ethics at Lipscomb University, the author of Scandalous Witness: A Little Political Manifesto for Christians and the host of “No Small Endeavor,” a podcast that explores what it means to live a good life.
They discuss:
Lee’s upbringing as a Protestant Christian in Alabama, and how his studies at the University of Notre Dame changed his views on the Catholic world
Moral theology and the value of asking, “What does it mean to live a good life?”
The importance of good, wholesome arguments in religious tradition
In Signs of the Times, Ashley and Zac talk about Pope Francis’ controversial decision to remove Bishop Joseph Strickland from his duties overseeing the diocese of Tyler, Tex. They then discuss the U.S. bishops more broadly, focusing on this week’s U.S.C.C.B. meeting in Baltimore and the conflicting assessments of the U.S. church put forth by various leaders.
Links from the show:
Pope Francis removes Bishop Strickland of Diocese of Tyler, Texas
Archbishop Broglio and Cardinal Pierre offer competing visions of synodality at bishops’ meeting
Zac and Ashley’s appearance on “No Small Endeavor”
What’s on tap?
Chimay Trappist ale
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The movement of lay people behind Pope Francis’ peace missions
How does a 25-year-old woman from Salt Lake City end up facilitating peace negotiations during a civil war in South Sudan? This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley are joined by Elizabeth Boyle, an International Relations Officer in the Community of Sant’Egidio, a lay social movement of the Catholic Church whose mission focuses on three “P”s: “prayer, peace, and the poor.”
Zac and Ashley talk to Elizabeth about:
The journey that brought Elizabeth to peacebuilding and the work she’s doing with the Community of Sant’Egidio in Rome
What her work in South Sudan reveals about the challenges and possibilities of peacemaking
How Catholics (and the church) can integrate peace into their spirituality
In Signs of the Times, Ashley and Zac discuss Pope Francis’ recent announcement that he would travel to Dubai to attend COP28. Then, they get into a most pressing issue facing the church: Sabrina Carpenter’s “Feather” music video, which caused an uproar after being filmed in the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Brooklyn.
Links from the show:
Interview: Pope Francis’ presence at COP28 climate conference in Dubai is ‘without precedence’
Brooklyn bishop ‘appalled’ over music video shot in Catholic church, will investigate
Podcast: When Catholic doctrine can change—and when it can’t
The Community of Sant'Egidio
What’s on tap?
Lambrusco
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Synod on Synodality Debrief with Father James Martin
On this special crossover episode of Jesuitical and Inside the Vatican, Zac Davis speaks with his colleagues Gerard O’Connell, Sam Sawyer, S.J., and synod member James Martin, S.J., about the concluding document of the recent synod on synodality in Rome. They discuss:
The open debate about women’s ordination to the diaconate
Why reference to L.G.B.T. Catholics was not included in the synthesis document
What the synthesis document is and how it can be read and used widely
Was this really a synod of bishops?
Plus, new paths for appointing bishops and performance reviews
Links:
Father James Martin: What happened at the Synod on Synodality
Cardinal Cupich on the synod, women deacons, giving bishops job reviews and why ‘LGBTQ’ was left out of the final doc
Synod publishes final report and votes: Calls for more discussion on synodality, women deacons and more
Full text: Pope Francis’ homily closing the 2023 Synod on Synodality
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When Catholic doctrine can change–and when it can’t
This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley discuss a, if not the, big question hanging over the synod: Can it change church teaching? They unpack the place of authority, doctrinal development and the synod with Richard Gaillardetz, the Joseph Professor of Catholic Systematic Theology at Boston College and the author of a foundational text on the levels of church teaching: By What Authority?: A Primer on Scripture, the Magisterium, and the Sense of the Faithful.
They ask Dr. Gaillardetz:
What’s the difference between a dogma, doctrine and teaching?
What do I need to believe to be Catholic? Is it O.K. to disagree with church teaching?
How has church teaching developed throughout history?
In Signs of the Times, the synod enters its final week with discussion on the synthesis report, and an Australian theologian addresses concerns some synod delegates have about tradition and the development of doctrine.
Links from the show:
Purchase By What Authority? Foundations for Understanding Authority in the Church, by Richard Gaillardetz
Synod: Fr Ormond Rush's theological reflection on Synthesis Report
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Catholic influencers or digital missionaries? Bringing the synod to the internet
As a young adult, José Manuel de Urquidi had a lot of questions about faith but couldn’t find satisfying answers. He went to law school, opened a craft brewery and started a family, but it wasn’t until he started podcasting that he found his purpose as a digital missionary.
José is a voting member in the synod on synodality at the Vatican this month and his advocacy for evangelizing–or rather listening–in digital spaces is turning heads. Leading up to the synod, he worked closely with the synod secretariat to get the word out on dozens of digital platforms. The result is the digital synod “continental” document, which centers previously unheard voices of those who are or feel excluded from the traditional structures of the Church.
In Signs of the Times, Ashley and Zac break open the final thematic module of the synod that’s currently being discussed: Participation, governance and authority.
Links
Synod Diary: Will the synod change its members?
Synod cardinal from Brazil: In the Amazon ‘everyone votes, except the bishop’
The digital synod continental document
What’s on Tap?
Lokita Mezcal
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Customer Reviews
Thank you!!
Really appreciated your last episode - and many before it! Thank you for bringing your faith, your minds and your questions to the air - you provide a thoughtful, informed, open to modernism, real perspective I really relate to. I also appreciate the mix of components on your show (news, a focus, and where you’ve found God). Now I just have to join in on the cocktail component ;).
Interesting, good questions asked, but kinda leaves you hanging
I mostly enjoyed the recent episode on whether Church doctrine can change. The interviewee was very good but I was a bit put off by the assertion that its really all about the journey. I think in today’s world we all feel very keenly that beliefs have consequences. It’s not just “as long as you’re struggling with the teaching” it’s all good. I appreciated his call to take church teaching seriously, but if I’m a scientist working in in vitro technologies, even if I’m aware the Church prohibits in vitro, I may come to a different conclusion out of a desire to give people the babies they want. Then what? No worries, as long as I’m struggling with the teachings. And I proceed to created designer babies and feed the industrial beast. Choices matter, people. Also, his mention of the need for conversion points to the fact that there would be an objective thing to convert to. There’s always some nuance yes, but I think for all the talk of not being a cafeteria Catholic, this only encourages that mindset, since it’s all personal!
Excellent
This is informative and relatable. Thanks!!