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Even though Pope Francis recently canceled his trip to Dubai for COP28 on doctor’s orders, the meeting still represents a huge initiative in Francis’ papacy; in “Laudate Deum,” Francis writes that the meeting has the potential to be “a historic event that honors and ennobles us as human beings” (“Laudate Deum,” No. 59). So Ashley and Zac welcomed Jose Aguto, the executive director of Catholic Climate Covenant, on this week’s episode of “Jesuitical” to discuss Catholic climate advocacy at this pivotal moment.
They discuss:



Pope Francis’ commitment to climate justice throughout his papacy



How Catholics should understand climate change as both a systemic and spiritual issue, and where we can find hope



The history and current state of climate action in the U.S. church




In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley check in with Maggi Van Dorn, host of the “Hark!” podcast, which explores the meaning and making of our favorite Christmas carols. The first episode of season three, which came out on Sunday, dives into “O Holy Night” and features Greg Boyle, S.J. Maggi takes the “Jesuitical” team behind the scenes of “Hark!” production and helps to usher in the Advent season.
Links from the show:

‘Our ecological crisis is fundamentally a moral one’: Catholic Climate Covenant’s new executive director hopes to inspire care for creation

Jose Aguto, Catholic Climate Covenant

Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue Prudence and the Common Good

Laudate Deum

Laudato Si’

The abolitionist history of ‘O Holy Night’

“Hark!” Podcast


What’s on tap?
(knock-off) Chartreuse

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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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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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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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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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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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