Fake vs. Real News from “the Vatican” with Edward Pentin
The mainstream media love to quote “Vatican sources,” or “the Vatican,” or “the Holy See today said…” What is “the Vatican” and who speaks for it?
I sat down with, to my mind, the best Vaticanista journalist writing today, Edward Pentin, the British-born Rome correspondent for The National Catholic Register, and author of The Rigging of a Vatican Synod: An Investigation into Alleged Manipulation at the Extraordinary Synod on the Family.
We cover a multitude of bases of interest to news junkies, especially the kind who pay attention to things papal. If you’ve ever scratched your head over the latest allegedly official Vatican pronouncement, or tried to understand what Pope Francis just said (or, more frequently, is alleged to have said), don’t miss this interview.
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Iranian-born atheist Sohrab Ahmari has had an unlikely path to the Catholic Church, He announced his intentions to convert upon learning that Father Jacques Hamel was murdered on the altar of his quiet Normandy parish church in July 2016, and was received into the Church some months later.
Ahmari is a London-based editorial writer and editor for the Wall Street Journal, and he has a new book that will help you understand how modern art (really post-modern, but you knew that) became corrupted by identity politics and hard Left messaging. The book is titled The New Philistines and if you’re looking for the answer as to why beauty is not (primarily) in the eye of the beholder, this is a conversation worth hearing. Theatre, movies, books, painting, even architecture: art is now mainly driven by PC-driven concerns.
So much of contemporary art is ugly, politicized, and incoherent. And that’s supposed to be its charm!
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Marcus speaks with a quiet authority, with the air of a contemplative craftsman. Founder of Marian Caskets, his avocation in life is now his family business.
He makes beautiful wooden caskets.
Moved by the funeral rites of Pope John Paul II in 2005, particularly the plain wooden casket of the late great Holy Father, Marcus took on a life of service to the bereaved and, by his intercession as he works, the deceased themselves. He joined me to talk about the carved messages in these elegant, rough-hewn caskets and about how our culture’s widespread denial (and fear of) of death has kept us far from the presence of God, although He is near.
Check out his website and accompanying intro video at www.mariancaskets.com
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We live in an age of divorce parties, Hallmark Cards that celebrate divorce, and sit-com plots that revolve around the “hilarious” hi jinx that ensue when the ex comes over. The necessary premise for this age is the notion that kids don’t really suffer because of divorce, not really, right? The kiddos are resilient, right? Mommy and daddy were so unhappy, until that boo boo was fixed, right?
Wrong, says author and married mother of eight, Leila Miller. The 70 courageous men and women in her new book Primal Loss: Now Adult Children of Divorce Speak tell a very different tale. Their experiences – laced with uncomfortable truths about how divorce is almost invariably the “gift” that keeps on taking – are finally brought into the open. Finally, we’re having a conversation about the central characters in the drama that are usually not given a speaking part: the children.
If your parents were divorced or if you’re on the verge yourself, pay attention to this interview.
Dana Gioia is a poet, a librettist, the Judge Widney Professor at the University of Southern California. As the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, Dana was unanimously confirmed twice by the Senate to lead the NEA from 2003 through 2009. He has been given ten honorary degrees and won numerous awards, including the 2010 Laetare Medal from Notre Dame University. In 2015, Gioia was named the Poet Laureate of California by Gov. Jerry Brown.
This is one of those conversations deserving close attention, even if your only exposure to poetry was in high school with e.e. cummings and Alan Ginsberg. Dana is a master at communicating subtlety and mystery, and bears interesting insights galore.
Catholics and other Christians need to get into the game of creative writing, music, poetry, and other sources of beauty for which this sad world is…starving.
Here is a great intro to his work, 99 Poems: New and Selected
You’re welcome!
Todd Komarnicki is a natural raconteur. He knows well how to distill vast amounts of story information into a resonant format that, well, works. This skill has been honed over many years and helps explain why he’s a sought after screenwriter and movie producer (start the list with Elf, Resistance, and Meet Dave).
His latest film is Sully, directed Clint Eastwood, starring Tom Hanks about Capt. Chesley Sullenberger, the “miracle on the Hudson” pilot. Another of his films it the post-production phase is The Madman and the Professor, starring Mel Gibson and Sean Penn, which Todd co-wrote.
In this frank (and fun!) interview, you’ll find out what being an artist who is also Christian in Hollywood can mean, and learn some of the principal elements that go into a great story. Todd has also crafted a script about the making of It’s a Wonderful Life, centered on the long-suffering efforts of Philip Van Doren Stern to get someone to like his Christmas card letter – which a guy called Frank Capra did, to say the very least. You heard it here first, folks. Can’t wait.
Grab some popcorn. Todd’s endlessly interesting, insightful, and has great taste in ties.
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I’ve been watching and listening to Andrew Klavan for a few years and always admired his communication chops. He has something to say and he says it well. Two of his novels have been adapted into movies, True Crime, directed by Clint Eastwood, and Don’t Say a Word starring Michael Douglas.
In the interview you’ll find out how and why he came to Christ; the unique challenges faced by Jewish finders of Christian truth; and why commentary on culture is more important today than ever.
Few writers also speak very well. Mr. Klavan is one of those few. Enjoy his autobiography The Great Good Thing: A Secular Jew Comes To Faith In Christ, as I did.
There’s manhood, and then there’s Catholic manhood. How does the Catholic adjective condition the manhood subject? In this free-wheeling interview with the creators of the popular new podcast, The Catholic Man Show, co-hosts Adam Minihan and David Niles explore the seldom navigated waters of the ways in which the one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Faith brings virtue and courage to men today.
The feminist movement was in some ways a reaction to the fact that me were getting an F in manhood. Unfortunately, the proverbial baby was chucked with the famous bathwater and men today need to hear the differenced between true authority and false authoritarianism -- which is the difference between servant leadership and tyranny.
Adam and David are real mensches, young dads, and they play well off one another. I know you’ll enjoy this exchange of manly ideas and ideals.
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Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia speaks with the same direct, guile-free way he writes. As a pastor of a large American city, he knows his audience: They are largely post-Christian, cynical about “organized religion,” and don’t abide clichés and easy grace.
Archbishop Chaput (pronounced SHAP-you) is also a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi tribe, the second Native American to be consecrated a bishop in the United States and the first Native American archbishop. You might say he comes from a non-immigrant family.
I spoke with him about his latest book, Strangers in a Stranger Land: Living the Catholic Faith In a Post-Christian World, a sort of follow-up to the thesis he laid out seven years ago in First Things journal essay, “Catholics and the Next America.” That America is here. Ignited Catholics eager to spread the gospel…not so much.
Chaput has been called “alarmist” by the usual suspects in the lamescream media. Christian realist is more accurate. As Christian leaders go, His Excellency is hard-headed and soft-hearted, not the other way around. You’ll find this a conversation worth sharing after you enjoy it yourself.
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If you’re like me, you enjoy complaining about bad church music. Whether it’s the stuff the Glory and Praise collections, or the St. Louis Jesuits, or the Marty Haugen/David Haas Monster – most of what passes for hymns of Christian worship at suburban parishes today is dreck: saccharine, sentimental, and syrupy, not to mention mostly unsingable (unless you have vast experience belting out Broadway power ballads).
Well, there is good news, and Father George Rutler announces it in his new book The Stories of Hymns: The History Behind 100 of Christianity’s Greatest Hymns
In this interview, the wry and erudite Father Rutler dives into the stories behind the songs that generations of Christians have loved to sing – yes, including male Christians. As the prophet Joni Mitchell thus spake, “Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you got till it’s gone.”
If you’re a junky for good “story behind the story” content, you’ll love this conversation about the great hymns of the past, which may yet, please God, see a return to your local parish.
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God says he hates divorce (Malachi 2:16). Jesus tells his followers that Moses only permitted divorce because of the hardness of their hearts, and that divorce and remarriage constituted adultery (Matthew 19). Yet our culture has become more and more pro-divorce since no fault divorces laws were first passed (under Gov. Ronald Reagan in 1969). Divorce has lost its stigma.
Dr. Diane Medved has written a comprehensive antidote to the “grass is greener” propaganda with her latest book, Don’t Divorce: Powerful Arguments for Saving and Revitalizing Your Marriage.
Married for 30 years to nationally syndicated radio host Michael Medved (who was a guest on Episode 002 of the show, talking about his new book The American Miracle: Divine Providence in the Rise of the Republic, Dr. Medved doubles down on the message of her 1989 book The Case Against Divorce.
If you’re in a troubled marriage and are tempted to part ways, or you’re looking for data-driven reasons why divorce is a calamity for the whole family (and often for the friends of the divorcing couples), she has amassed an impressive array of evidence from the social sciences and her own practice.
In this interview, the observantly Jewish clinical psychologist makes all the important distinctions and offers actionable responses for couples undergoing trials within their marriages. This is a great one share with them!
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Smart phones have given rise to a nation of zombies. You see them everywhere, staring vacantly at their glowing screens in restaurants, amusement park line-ups, in churches, park benches, and family dining room tables.
In his book Glow Kids, Dr. Nicholas Kardaras has laid his finger on a growing problem that few are willing to tackle let alone diagnose and treat. Some people even argue that glowing screens might even be good for kids as a form of interactive educational tool.
This interview will shed light on the causal connection between smart phone use and school shootings, lethargy, and general anger management issues (notice how kids react when their visual drug is taken from them!) Parents, teachers, and pastors, listen up!
Father Sean speaks with a firm, quiet authority about pornography. It’s not just because he’s a priest of the High Priest Jesus Christ, nor that he’s the Theological Advisor to Integrity Restored (www.integrityrestored.com).
It’s also because, starting at a very young age, he got ensnared by the shiny darkness of compulsive porn use. His counsel is therefore personal, experiential. In this revealing interview, he recalls the disturbing but ultimately healing experience of meeting a former porn actor – whom he (Father Sean) recognized as someone who appeared in a porn VHS he had seen countless times. Only Providence could have arranged such an encounter and produce such a strong dose of restoration…
This is a conversation laden with rich scriptural insights into the question of our deepest identity, and the irreplaceable presence of God’s love to bring full and lasting healing from any kind of addiction.
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Clay Olsen is a man on a mission. The organization he cofounded and now leads, fightthenewdrug.org, is dedicated to education young people of all ages understand the nature of pornography addiction but also the emotional and social harms occasioned by even “moderate” or “occasional” porn use.
FTND is not faith-based and doesn’t rely on religious principles to engage the phenomenon. It’s all about the science of how porn affects the brain and the quality of relationships. And it is filled with high-quality media content of may different kinds.
In our interview Clay shares many stories about the struggle toward recovery, including a heartbreaking personal anecdote about a nine-year-old girl who found hardcore porn online and ended up watching it nightly for months on end before her parents found out and intervened.
Parents: Get. A. Clue. The pornography industry never sleeps, is always on the prowl, and doesn’t negotiate with its hostages.
by Kristen Jensen and Dr. Gaily Poynter
The Porn Myth: Exposing the Reality Behind the Fantasy of Pornography
By Matthew Fradd
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It’s safe to call Dr. Bill Struthers a brainiac. He holds a doctorate in from the University of Chicago and his research employ the use of stereotaxic surgery, immunochemistry, and behavioral manipulations to investigate gene expression in the cingulate cortex and basal ganglia. He is also a visiting scholar in science and religion at Oxford University.
His academic credentials, however, have had no effect on his ability to talk to the average layman about how pornography hijacks the male brain. In this interview, Dr. Struthers talks about the findings contained in his book Wired for Intimacy: How Pornography Hijacks the Male Brain.
Because we are embodied beings, viewing pornography changes how the brain works, how we form memories and make attachments. He exposes false assumptions about, and casts a vision for, a redeemed masculinity, while showing the science behind compulsive porn use and how to break free.
Wired for Intimacy: How Pornography Hijacks the Male Brain by Dr. William Struthers
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Matt Fradd knows at least 129 different ways to talk about why pornography is immoral, bad for relationships, and great training for emotional immaturity. The “Australian by birth, Catholic by choice” author and speaker sat down with me to talk about ways you can discuss the porn problem with those who don’t think it’s a problem – without (this is key) relying on religious or faith-based resources.
Matt is the executive director of Integrity Restored, an apostolate providing all manner of resources for porn addicts and their partners. He can also be found blogging at mattfradd.com. His latest book is The Porn Myth: The Reality Behind the Fantasy of Pornography. There is a way out, and it starts with understanding the problem itself.
Something you should know: 100% of Matt’s royalties are being donated to Children of the Immaculate Heart (www.childrenoftheimmaculatheart.org) a San Diego-based apostolate dedicated to rescuing and restoring victims of sex trafficking.
The Porn Myth: The Reality Behind the Fantasy of Pornography
by Matt Fradd
Delivered: True Stories of Men and Women Who Turned from Porn to Purity
Edited by Matthew Fradd
Restored: True Stores of Love and Trust After Porn
Edited by Matthew and Cameron Fradd
Good Pictures, Bad Pictures: Porn-Proofing Today’s Young Kids
by Kristen Jenson and Dr. Gail Poyner
Integrity Restored, Helping Catholic Families Win the Battle Against Pornography
by Dr. Peter Kleponis, PhD
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Vancouver-based PR director Jim Hoggan (pronounced Hogan) thinks strong disagreement can co-exist with civility. In today’s media culture, modes of communication (from emails to memos to blog posts) have become more swords than words.
Have you noticed how many YouTube debates are described as some version of, “Watch our hero eviscerate (or slaughter/kill/slay/own/etc. the other guy”? We can’t seem to disagree without destroying.
This is why Hoggan wrote I’m Right and You’re An Idiot: The Toxic State of Public Discourse and How to Clean it Up.
What’s interesting is that he takes a definite (possibly dogmatic) stand on what used to be called global warming – rebranded as “climate change” – so his communication lessons are tied to a controversial topic from the get-go. But the merits or demerits of Al Gore’s approach to climate change weren’t the topic of the interview – the need for engagement at the level of facts and not facetiousness was. And in this interview, Mr. Hoggan models the civility he recommends.
(Surely his Canadianness gives him an edge in the nice department…)
In this context I can also, without shame, recommend my free e-booklet, Stay Cool When the Argument Heats Up: Proven Strategies for Calm Conversing. Get your free copy by subscribing to my Inside Scoop Newsletter here.
Yes, Virginia, we can disagree without destroying.
I’m Right and You’re An Idiot: The Toxic State of Public Discourse and How to Clean it Up. by James Hoggan
Dr. Donald DeMarco is a leading Canadian philosopher, writer, and pro-life lion. He is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at St. Jerome’s University, Waterloo, Ontario; a Visiting Scholar with Holy Apostles College and Seminary; and is the author of 21 books.
In my podcast interview with him, he unpacked what is to my mind the deepest mystery of all: how God’s provident care, can co-exist with human freedom. God has a plan, and we can say yes or no to it. It’s amazing, really, like the grace at work in this mystery.
I admit to my long-standing admiration of Dr. DeMarco. His books were immensely helpful to me as I was making my way back to the Catholic Church in Canada. DeMarco’s style is lyrical, easy to read, but packed with golden nuggets of truth. You have to love a Christian philosopher whose doctoral dissertation was "The Nature of the Relationship between the Mathematical and the Beautiful in Music.”
Enjoy this rich conversation on a fascinating topic.
The Heart of Virtue by Donald DeMarco
In My Mother’s Womb by Donald DeMarco
Architects of the Culture of Death by Donald DeMarco and Benjamin Wiker
The Many Faces of Virtue by Donald DeMarco
The American Miracle: Divine Providence in the Rise of the Republic by Michael Medved
Tony Esolen speaks with the urgency and verbal economy of a prophet. No words are wasted and the point of the conversation is ever before him. The professor of Renaissance English Literature and the Development of Western Civilization
at Providence College in RI, is a translator and a sage of things cultural and authentically Catholic. He’s also a connoisseur of classic movies.
Following a strong series of articles and books on marriage, sexual sanity, and Catholic social teaching, his latest book is titled Out of the Ashes: Rebuilding American Culture.
And what a wallop it packs.
Our interview used the themes and arguments in the book as jumping off points for a discussion that ranged from the long journey from boy-to-manhood to the origins of the culture crisis, to the evergreen problem of Why Johnny Can’t Read. Few writers today combine erudition with humor, insight, and a Christian spirit.
Dr. Sebastian Gorka’s family of origin knows all about oppression and persecution, having fled the Soviets during the 1956 Revolution in Hungary.
Educated in the UK, Sebastian eventually settled in the United States. Through his Congressional testimony, his work as a professor with expertise in irregular warfare, and his new book Defeating Jihad: The Winnable War, he says America (and the west) since 9/11 has become very good at applying direct military force against terrorists and their camps, but has failed so far to confront the ideology behind ISIS and other Islamic radical groups. Drone strikes and special ops raids can be highly effective as far as they go, but they don’t win the hearts and minds of non-radicalized Muslims, not to mention the further radicalization of onlookers.
In January, 2017, Dr. Gorka was named Special Deputy to the President of the United States. Don’t miss this riveting conversation about a topic few want to address, but which becomes more and more important as we go forward.
BOOKS RECOMMENDED IN THIS EPISODE
Defeating Jihad: The Winnable War by Dr. Sebastian Gorka
Steven D. Greydanus (SDG) knows movies. He created DecentFilms.com in 2000, and he has penned untold hundreds of thoughtful reviews and essays on film criticism. Steven is the film critic for the National Catholic Register and, with his co-host David DiCerto, hosts the Gabriel Award–winning cable TV show “Reel Faith” for New Evangelization Television. He’s a longtime member of the Online Film Critics Society and a permanent deacon in the Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.
In this interview, we covered the Academy Award nominees in all the top-tier categories (gauged in terms of general audience interest), from Silence, Hacksaw Ridge, Moonlight, La La Land, Fences, Manchester By the Sea, for starters. We also talk about performances, story premises, and why the last scene can sometime make or break a film’s impact. Listen in!
BOOKS RECOMMENDED IN THIS EPISODE
by Peter Dans
by Shusaku Endo
Is the Catholic Church socialist? Are rich people the problem? How can people of faith strive for success in business without replacing God with mammon? Orange County attorney, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Tim Busch separates fact from fiction.
Can you live the rock and roll lifestyle without losing your soul? Top drummer Mike Miley keeps time for Rival Sons, the support band for Ozzy Osborne. Here he discusses the joy of walking off stage from 60,000 screaming rock fans and heading to Mass.
Only a tiny sliver of movies made each year make it to the very top. Why is that? Why has Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and The Chronicles of Narnia universally resonated? Father Robert Spitzer, SJ, digs into the mystery of Myth.
Let’s face it: most church marketing sucks. How to effectively tell the greatest story ever told to savvy consumers? When did Jesus stop being the model for Christians in media? Author and branding guru Phil Cooke talks solutions and strategies that work.