In this episode, I had a great conversation with Dr. David Lantigua about the Latin American roots of Pope Leo’s theology. We specifically talked about how Latin American theology is present in Leo’s exhortation Dilexi Te. We also discussed how the Latin American rereading of Vatican II is Leo’s hermeneutic of the Council, and how it cuts through the progressive vs. traditionalist paradigm that has caused so much division in the Church. **Unfortunately, there was a technology issue with the video recording, so I’m only able to publish the audio of this conversation. Dr. David Lantigua is associate professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, where he is also codirector of the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism. He is the author of “Infidels and Empires in a New World Order: Early Modern Spanish Contributions to International Legal Thought” from Cambridge University Press, 2020. He is currently completing a manuscript entitled Social Revolution after Pope Francis. I also have a couple of podcast updates! First, this is the final episode of Season Two! Like last year, I’ll be taking a break from podcasting through the summer to spend more time with family. Through the summer I’ll be rerunning “throwback” episodes from Third Space and Pope Francis Generation, and hopefully there’ll be a couple of new bonus episodes. Also, I wanted to make an ask. The Third Space podcast and substack is a crucial part of my “real job.” Like many millennials, my family’s income is in the gig economy. I work part-time as a professional counselor, then the rest of my income comes from consulting and coaching work about spiritual abuse in the Church and Third Space. I never anticipated that this Substack would become a real job, a key source of my income. But it has. And I’m grateful for it. Obviously, I’m not the first creator to make an income off of Substack. However, many of the professional Substackers put some or all of their content behind a paywall. And that’s great! Writers and podcasters deserve to be paid for their work. But I’ve decided not to do that. I always want Third Space to remain a resource that’s completely free and accessible to everyone who can benefit from it, regardless of their financial situation. That’s important to me. But I’m realizing that you don’t know what I need unless I tell you, unless I ask. The reality is that writing the essays and preparing for/recording podcasts take a significant amount of time, research, and emotional energy every week. Time and effort that, if I’m going to keep growing Third Space, also need to have financial growth. In the past year and a half, the overall subscribers have doubled, but the paid subscribers have essentially stayed the same. If you have the resources and value Third Space—if you open these emails and listen to the podcast—if you believe these conversations are important for the People of God, please consider becoming a paid patron today. You won’t get exclusive bonus content for upgrading. You’ll get the knowledge that you’re directly keeping these resources free for thousands of others, supporting my family, and ensuring Third Space can continue to grow. There’s a few ways to support Third Space, and there are some new “thank you” gifts for your support. Thank you! See this link for more details: https://www.catholicthirdspace.com/p/this-is-more-than-i-ever-expected LINKS: Leo’s Ode to Latin American Theologyhttps://www.commonwealmagazine.org/leo-francis-poor-exhortation-pope-poor-dilexi-te Dr. David Lantiguahttps://theology.nd.edu/people/david-lantigua/ Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicismhttps://cushwa.nd.edu/ The Ecclesial Vision of Dilexi Tehttps://wherepeteris.com/the-ecclesial-vision-of-dilexi-te/ Dilexi Tehttps://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/apost_exhortations/documents/20251004-dilexi-te.html ABOUT THIRD SPACE: Third Space is the podcast for those who see the beauty of Catholicism, as well as the ugliness, who have experienced real harm AND real grace in the Church. Every episode I will have conversations with guests about the good and the bad in the Church—avoiding easy answers or black & white fundamentalism—in order to hold on to all that is true. SUPPORT THIS SHOW: Please consider becoming a paid subscriber. All of your support directly helps my family and allows me to continue working on projects like this podcast, the newsletter, as well as resources about spiritual abuse in the Catholic Church. www.catholicthirdspace.com LIVING SOLIDARITY: Living Solidarity upholds the infinite dignity of every person by addressing the reality of spiritual abuse and abuse of conscience in the Catholic Church. Living Solidarity helps to build a Church of integrity and solidarity by accompanying survivors of spiritual abuse with trauma-informed life coaching; equipping Church leaders and institutions to confront systemic harm; and creating resources grounded in psychological research and the Church’s Social Teaching. Visit livingsolidarity.com to learn more, to connect with Paul, to schedule individual life coaching, or to invite Paul to speak or consult with your community, parish, seminary, or diocese. ABOUT THE HOST: Paul Fahey is currently a professional counselor, retreat leader, and the host of the Third Space podcast. He provides counseling for those who have been spiritually abused and creates resources for Church leaders to better safeguard their communities against all forms of abuse. He previously worked for eight years as the Director of Religious Education at a Catholic parish. Paul Fahey lives in Michigan with his wife, Kristina, and their five kids. Get full access to Third Space at www.catholicthirdspace.com/subscribe
