Glad You Asked – Détails, épisodes et analyse

In February of 1300, Pope Boniface VIII, in the papal bull Antiquorum Habet Fida Relatio, declared the first-ever Catholic Jubilee Year. Anyone who made a pilgrimage to the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul in Rome, and who repented and confessed, would receive “the fullest and broadest pardon for all sins committed,” Boniface proclaimed. One of the thousands of pilgrims who journeyed to Rome that year was the painter Giotto, who created a fresco commemorating the event. Another was the poet Dante Alighieri, who references the Jubilee in his Divine Comedy—ironically, this appears in Canto 18 of Inferno, where he compares the movement of the damned along the eighth circle of hell to the Roman method of traffic control during the Jubilee. 

The jubilee tradition goes back far further, however, originating in Judaism, before Christianity had even begun. In the Israelite tradition, the jubilee was associated with things like forgiving debts, freeing enslaved people, and other concrete gestures of material justice. In the Catholic tradition, however, the Jubilee focuses not on debt forgiveness but on forgiveness of sins. 

On this episode of Glad You Asked, the hosts talk with scholar Dean Dettloff about the origins of the Jubilee Year, its significance in the Catholic tradition, and whether there is any likelihood that the Catholic Jubilee will recover its ancient tradition of concrete liberation. Dettloff is the Research and Advocacy Officer for Development and Peace–Caritas Canada. He holds a PhD in philosophy from the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, where he also teaches as sessional faculty.

You can learn more about this topic, and read some of Dettloff’s work, in these links. 

What Is a Holy Year?
HISTORY

“This Jubilee year, be open to the gift of hope,” by Alice Camille
This Jubilee year, be open to the gift of hope - U.S. Catholic

“Take action against mass incarceration this Jubilee year,” by Alessandra Harris
Take action against mass incarceration this Jubilee year - U.S. Catholic

“Canada must lead global debt cancellation, like it did 25 years ago,” by Dean Detloff
Canada must lead global debt cancellation, like it did 25 years ago - The Hill Times

“Mourning a Pope We Often Ignored,” by Dean Detloff
Mourning a Pope We Often Ignored | Sojourners

“A May Day Saint,” by Dean Detloff
A May Day Saint | Commonweal Magazine

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries.

The earliest documented use of the term pro-life was in a book on parenting and child education. The book, Summerhill: A Radical Approach to Child Rearing, by A.S. Neil, was published in 1960 and contained the statement that “no pro-life parent or teacher would ever strike a child. No pro-life citizen would tolerate our penal code, our hangings, our punishment of homosexuals.” 

However, that’s not how the term is typically used today. In the early 1970s, following Roe v. Wade, anti-abortion activists began using the term pro-life in reference to their opposition to legalized abortion. Even then, many activists thought being pro-life ought to entail a holistic approach to life issues: that people should oppose not only abortion, but also war, the death penalty, income inequality, and racism. 

This idea that pro-life ought to refer to all life really began to pick up steam in 2016, partially as a response to the mainstream pro-life movement's alliance with far right political leaders. Today, many people who used to identify as pro-life no longer do so. They feel the term has been tarnished. 

Should “pro-life” mean opposition to abortion, or should it be more inclusive? Has the term been compromised by its association with various political agendas? And how should Catholics respond to this debate? 

On this episode of Glad You Asked, the hosts talk to Bishop John Stowe about what it means to be a pro-life Catholic. Stowe is bishop of the diocese of Lexington, Kentucky and a priest in the Order of Friars Minor Conventual. In keeping with the Franciscan tradition, Stowe has long been a pastoral voice for justice for the poor and for environmental justice. He’s also spoken repeatedly for immigrant rights and LGBTQ+ inclusion. 

Learn more about this topic in these links.

“U.S. Catholic readers critique the pro-life movement,” by Kathleen Bonnette
U.S. Catholic readers critique the pro-life movement - U.S. Catholic

“As election nears, Catholics reflect on abortion politics,” by Cassidy Klein
As election nears, Catholics reflect on abortion politics - U.S. Catholic

“4 ways progressive pro-lifers can reengage with Democratic leaders,” by Rebecca Bratten Weiss
4 ways progressive pro-lifers can reengage with Democratic leaders | National Catholic Reporter

“Will the synod listen to women on reproductive issues?” by Ashley Wilson
Will the synod listen to women on reproductive issues? - U.S. Catholic 

“In debates about reproductive health, listen to Black women,” a U.S. Catholic interview
In debates about reproductive health, listen to Black women - U.S. Catholic

“A new way to think about the ‘consistent ethic of life’,” by Steven P. Millies
A new way to think about the ‘consistent ethic of life’

“It’s Time to Move Past the Pro-Life / Pro-Choice Dividing Line,” by Rebecca Bratten Weiss
It’s Time To Move Past The Pro-Life / Pro-Choice Dividing Line | Rebecca Bratten Weiss

“Do restrictive abortion laws actually reduce abortion? A global map offers insights,” by Michaeleen Doucleff
MAP: Click to see abortion laws — and rates of abortion — around the world : Goats and Soda : NPR

“The movement against abortion rights is nearing its apex. But it began way before Roe,” by Deepa Shivaram
The history of the anti-abortion movement in the U.S. : NPR

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries.

The Bible is full of vivid, fascinating characters: heroes and antiheroes, tricksters and villains. One of the most memorable biblical villains is Queen Jezebel, wife of King Ahab in Kings 1 and 2. Jezebel shows up in multiple stories: persecuting the prophet Elijah, trying to institute the worship of the god Ba’al, conniving to steal a vineyard, and finally dying a gruesome death. She is mentioned in the book of Revelation, too, when the author refers to a woman in the church at Thyatira who “calls herself a prophet and is teaching and beguiling my servants to engage in sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols” (Rev. 2:20).

Because she lured her husband to worship a false god, and because she is remembered as wearing makeup and finery, she has come to be associated with ideas about women as dangerous, immoral temptresses. The name “Jezebel” has become a slur for a promiscuous woman who leads men astray, and this slur has been used especially to demean and demonize Black women.

But who was Jezebel really? Was she the sexually promiscuous character these slurs imply, and why does scripture depict her as a super-villain? 

On this episode of Glad You Asked, theologian and biblical scholar Stacy Davis talks to the host about the character Jezebel and the history of using her as a weapon against Black women. Davis is a professor of religious studies and Theology at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana, and the author of Haggai and Malachi in the Wisdom Commentary Series (Liturgical Press). She is an associate editor of The Africana Bible: Reading Israel’s Scriptures from Africa and the African Diaspora, as well as for the forthcoming Westminster John Knox Bible.

You can learn more about this topic in these links:

“Jezebel from an African-American Perspective,” by Stacy Davis 

whc.bibleodyssey.com

“The Jezebel Stereotype,” by David Pilgrim

The Jezebel Stereotype - Anti-black Imagery - Jim Crow Museum

“Who Exactly Was the Original Jezebel?” by Wednesday Martin

Who Exactly Was the Original Jezebel? ‹ Literary Hub

“Jezebel Isn’t Who You Think She Is,” by Nyasha Junior

Jezebel Isn’t Who You Think She Is - Dame Magazine

“Naming the 333 women in the Bible,” by Alice Camille

Naming the 333 women in the Bible - U.S. Catholic

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries.

As of March 2025, Elon Musk, the richest person in the world according to Bloomberg, was valued to be worth 311 billion dollars. To help put this quantity in perspective: In order for the average middle-class person earning around $45,000 a year to earn even $1 billion, they would have to devote all their time to work, while spending nothing, for over 21,000 years—that is, longer than human history. 

Given the extent of dire need across the world, it seems grossly unethical for anyone to have that kind of money. From a Catholic perspective, we need to take seriously not only concerns rooted in natural law ethics, regarding the flourishing of the person and the common good, but also traditional teachings about the moral obligations around money. Scripture is filled with warnings about the serious, possibly eternal punishments in store for those who hoard wealth at the expense of the poor. Does that mean billionaires are going to hell?

On this episode of Glad You Asked, hosts Emily Sanna and Rebecca Bratten Weiss talk to moral theologian Nicholas Hayes-Mota about the Catholic Church’s teaching on wealth and whether amassing vast amounts of money is a sin. 

Hayes-Mota is a social ethicist and public theologian whose research interests include the theology of community organizing, Catholic social thought, contemporary virtue ethics, democratic theory, and AI ethics. 

Read more about the ethics of wealth inequality:

“Pope Francis: Powerful and Rich Risk Going to Hell If They Ignore the Poor,” by David Gibson

“Why the wealth gap is bad for everyone.” A U.S. Catholic interview

“Why wealth inequality matters,” by Kevin Clarke

“The Universal Destination of Goods in St. John Chrysostom,” by Antônio Lemos

Rerum Novarum (Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor), encyclical of Pope Leo XIII

Populorum Progressio (On the Development of Peoples), encyclical of Paul VI

Fratelli Tutti (On Fraternity and Social Friendship), encyclical of Pope Francis

Read more by Nicholas Hayes-Mota:

“We need to reclaim the legacy of Christian nonviolence,” U.S. Catholic

“Principle in Practice: A MacIntyrean Analysis of Community Organizing and the Catholic Social Tradition.” Journal of Catholic Social Thought

“Partners in Forming the People: Jacques Maritain, Saul Alinsky, and the Project of Personalist Democracy.” Journal of Moral Theology

“An Accountable Church? Broad-Based Community Organizing and Ecclesial Ethics,” Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics

In the United States, nativity scenes are part of the ordinary landscape of Christmas—even in secular spaces. You might see a blow-up nativity scene, all in garish colors, in front of a neighborhood store. Or in church, traditional statuary depicting European-looking characters. Some homes and religious organizations feature nativity scenes from around the world, with the holy family in diverse cultural garb. But no matter the aesthetic there are common elements in most nativity scenes: Baby Jesus in the manger, Mary and Joseph close by, a few placid animals, some devout shepherds and magi, with an angel hovering on high. 

But how accurate are these scenes? Would the Holy Family really have been surrounded by animals? Did shepherds actually show up immediately after Jesus was born? And did Mary worry at all about the safety of putting a newborn infant in an animal’s feeding trough? 

On this episode of the podcast, scholar Jaime Waters talks to the hosts about what the nativity was really like and who was there. Waters is an associate professor of Old Testament at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry. She is presently working on a commentary on the book of Jeremiah for the Wisdom Commentary Series from Liturgical Press, and a book on methods of biblical interpretation. She has written multiple articles for America magazine about the intersection of scripture and justice issues.

You can learn more about this topic and read some of Waters’ writing in these links:

“Who was really at the Nativity?”
By Emily Sanna
https://uscatholic.org/articles/201912/who-was-really-at-the-nativity/ 

“What are we missing in our depictions of the nativity?”
By Kelly Nikondeha
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202212/what-are-we-missing-in-our-depictions-of-the-nativity/ 

“A nativity collection shows different imaginings of Christmas” 
By Jerry Bleem, O.F.M.
https://uscatholic.org/articles/201712/a-nativity-collection-shows-how-different-cultures-imagine-christmas/ 

“The journey of the magi is long and risky, but it ends with joy” 
By Jaime Waters
https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2021/12/16/epiphany-scripture-reading-242059 

“The loving dynamics in the Holy Family” 
By Jaime Waters
https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2021/11/18/word-scripture-lectionary-liturgy-readings-mass-241843 

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries USA, an order of Catholic priests and brothers who live and work with the most vulnerable among us. To learn more, visit claretians.org.

Often, Catholics refer to Mary with the various honorifics we have attached to her over the centuries: Mother of God, Blessed Virgin, or Queen of Heaven. When we imagine her, we may think of famous paintings representing her as a queen, crowned and throned, holding baby Jesus. While these titles all highlight important theological truths about Mary, and our religious art helps us venerate her as the most important saint of the church, we may sometimes lose sight of who Mary was historically. Long before the church developed our various doctrinal understandings about her, Mary was a Jewish woman born into a particular family, culture, and political situation. But compared with the vast amount of theological writing on Mary, the historical material we have about her is pretty scant. 

Who was Mary of Nazareth, really? What was her life like? How did she dress, what did she eat, and what level of education did she have? On this episode of the Glad You Asked podcast, guest AJ Levine helps us get a clearer picture of the historical Mary, beneath the halo and beyond the holy cards. 

Levine is the Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace. She was the first Jew to teach the New Testament at Rome’s Pontifical Biblical Institute. She has held office in the Society of Biblical Literature, the Catholic Biblical Association, and the Association for Jewish Studies. Her books include The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus (HarperOne) and Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi (HarperOne). Her most recent book is Jesus for Everyone: Not Just Christians (HarperOne).

Learn more about this topic, and read some of Levine’s writing, in these links.

“Mary, Mary, quite contrary,”
By Elizabeth Johnson
https://uscatholic.org/articles/201101/mary-mary-quite-contrary/ 

“It is time to free Mary and let God have her own maternal face,”
By Christine Schenk
https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/simply-spirit/it-time-free-mary-and-let-god-have-her-own-maternal-face 

“All mothers stand at the cross with Mary,”
By Sister Laurie Brink, O.P.
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202005/all-mothers-stand-at-the-cross-with-mary/ 

“Why did God choose Mary?”
By LaRyssa Herrington
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202305/why-did-god-choose-mary/ 

“Witnesses, patrons, faithful disciples: The women at the cross and the tomb,”
By Amy-Jill Levine
https://www.abc.net.au/religion/amy-jill-levine-women-at-the-cross-and-the-tomb/13843886 

“A Jewish take on Jesus: Amy-Jill Levine talks the gospels.”
A U.S. Catholic interview
https://uscatholic.org/articles/201209/a-jewish-take-on-jesus-amy-jill-levine-talks-the-gospels/ 

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries USA, an order of Catholic priests and brothers who live and work with the most vulnerable among us. To learn more, visit claretians.org.

It’s difficult to avoid artificial intelligence these days. When searching on Google or reading product reviews, there’s a good chance that you’ll be offered the option to read an AI-generated summary. Or maybe an AI tool will offer to write your work email for you. Savvy users are typically able to detect the errors in AI summaries, but even the most cautious and informed person might find it difficult to sort through what’s accurate and what isn’t. And while an ethical student wouldn’t want to entrust their carefully thought out ideas to an AI writing program, it might be a temptation for those less skilled at writing, or less concerned about morals. 

These are just a few ways AI disrupts our already hectic human lives. There are also questions about AI taking human jobs, AI being used to spread disinformation, AI romantic partners, even AI contract killers. The ethical issues around AI are real. But does this mean AI itself is bad? Are there ethical ways of using it? On this episode of Glad You Asked, guest Brian Green talks to the hosts about what AI is, what the real ethical concerns are, and whether Catholics should use it at all. 

Green is the director of technology ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. His work focuses on the impact of technology on human life, society, and religion. He has contributed to a number of books on AI and ethics and is the author of Space Ethics (Rowman & Littlefield). He’s been a lead contributor on three World Economic Forum case studies on ethical practices at Microsoft, Salesforce, and IBM and has worked with the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education.

Learn more about this topic in these links. 

“How should Christians respond to the challenges of AI?”
By Kate Ott
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202307/how-should-christians-respond-to-the-challenges-of-ai/ 

“AI isn’t all doom and gloom, says this theologian”
A U.S. Catholic interview
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202307/ai-isnt-all-doom-and-gloom-says-this-theologian/ 

“‘Oppenheimer’ offers a sober lesson in the era of AI”
By Danny Duncan Collum
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202311/oppenheimer-offers-a-sober-lesson-in-the-era-of-ai/ 

“Futuristic fiction asks important ethical questions about AI”
By Jeannine Pitas
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202308/futuristic-fiction-asks-important-ethical-questions-about-ai/ 

Journal of Moral Theology, Special Issue on AI
https://www.academyforlife.va/content/dam/pav/documenti%20pdf/2022/AI/Spring%202022%20Special%20Issue%20AI.pdf 

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries USA, an order of Catholic priests and brothers who live and work with the most vulnerable among us. To learn more, visit claretians.org.

Even 700 years after his death, St. Thomas Aquinas is still one of most influential theologians in the history of the Catholic Church. The Dominican friar, philosopher, and theologian wrote extensively about morals, liturgy, the sacraments, humanity, and the nature of God. He drew on multiple non-Christian and pre-Christian traditions to articulate the relationship between natural reason and revealed truth. 

Today, Aquinas’ ideas remain central to Catholic thought. But not all his ideas have aged well. And this can pose a problem, especially when people treat him as an authority on the level of the magisterium. Some of the ideas from Aquinas that self-described Thomists like to reiterate not only aren’t church teaching—they’re also incorrect.

But would Thomas Aquinas be a Thomist? What would the saint think about popular takes on his ideas today? And why is this academic quibble politically significant? On this episode of Glad You Asked, journalist Heidi Schlumpf, who recently wrote about this topic for U.S. Catholic, joins the hosts to talk about why conservative influencers love Aquinas and why disputes about his thought are relevant for the public square. 

Schlumpf is a senior correspondent for and former executive editor of the National Catholic Reporter. She previously served as the managing editor of U.S. Catholic and has reported extensively on religion, spirituality, social justice, and women's issues. She is the author of Elizabeth A. Johnson: Questing for God (Liturgical Press).

You can read more about this topic and read some of Schlumpf’s writing in these links.

“Would Thomas Aquinas be a Thomist?”
By Heidi Schlumpf
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202406/would-thomas-aquinas-be-a-thomist/ 

“Why ‘trads’ seek to root the church’s future in the past”
By Angela Denker
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202207/why-trads-seek-to-root-the-churchs-future-in-the-past/ 

“Two very different parishes point to divisions in the church”
By Peter Feuerherd
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202105/parish-differences-show-division-in-church/ 

“J.D. Vance’s Catholicism. Theological profile of Trump’s heir apparent”
By Massimo Faggioli
https://international.la-croix.com/opinions/jd-vances-catholicism-theological-profile-of-trumps-heir-apparent 

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries USA, an order of Catholic priests and brothers who live and work with the most vulnerable among us. To learn more, visit claretians.org.

Religious nationalism is on the rise, both in the United States and globally. While this poses multiple challenges to justice work, it also raises theoretical questions for Christians, including the question of how Catholics should understand the relationship between church and political powers. For centuries, when monarchy was the default, Catholics argued about this. Should the pope control the king, or vice versa? Can kings appoint religious institutional leaders? What if a pope excommunicates a monarch?

Somewhere along the line, a political idea called integralism developed. Integralism proposes a much closer relationship between political and religious authorities than most Americans are comfortable with. But despite our longstanding embrace of the separation of church and state, this seemingly obscure idea has entered our public discourse, associated with some right-wing influencers and political figures—including Vice President-Elect JD Vance. 

So what is integralism? Is it the same as nationalism, and does it threaten our constitutional ideas about religious liberty? On this episode of the podcast, scholar Nicholas Hayes-Mota talks to the hosts about what integralism is and how it relates to the current political climate. 

Hayes-Mota is a social ethicist and public theologian whose research interests include the theology of community organizing, Catholic social thought, contemporary virtue ethics, democratic theory, and AI ethics. He is a professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Santa Clara University’s College of Arts and Sciences.

You can learn more about this topic and read some of Hayes-Mota’s work in these links.

“What is Catholic integralism?”
By Steven P. Millies
https://uscatholic.org/articles/201910/what-is-catholic-integralism/ 

“The Integralist Argument Is Wrong, Even If You’re Catholic” 
By Kevin Augustyn
https://www.discoursemagazine.com/p/the-integralist-argument-is-wrong-even-if-youre-catholic 

“The strange world of Catholic 'integralism'—and Christian nationalism” 
By Jack Jenkins
https://www.ncronline.org/news/strange-world-catholic-integralism-and-christian-nationalism 

“The not-so-Catholic candidacy of J. D. Vance” 
By Jason L. Miller and Rebecca Bratten Weiss
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202407/the-not-so-catholic-candidacy-of-j-d-vance/ 

“Faith at the expense of freedom” 
By Rebecca Bratten Weiss
https://www.christiancentury.org/features/faith-expense-freedom 

“We need to reclaim the legacy of Christian nonviolence” 
By Nicholas Hayes-Mota
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202405/we-need-to-reclaim-the-legacy-of-christian-nonviolence/ 

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries USA, an order of Catholic priests and brothers who live and work with the most vulnerable among us. To learn more, visit claretians.org.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). This verse, sometimes called the Great Commission, includes a mandate to perform baptisms. But does that mean Jesus was telling everyone to go out and baptize? In the gospel passage, Jesus is speaking only to the eleven men who were closest to him, sometimes called the apostles. Traditionally, Catholics have believed that those eleven men were the first priests, and that this is why the mandate to baptize was directed at them.  

But does that mean only priests can perform baptisms? And does it mean that a person who is able to baptize should do so any time they get a chance, even if the person hasn’t asked for baptism, doesn’t want it, or is too young to make the decision? What about if a person was adamant about rejecting baptism, but is now unconscious, and dying? Should a good Catholic try to get them baptized anyway? 

On this episode of Glad You Asked, Claretian Father Paul Keller talks to the hosts about the church’s rules around baptism: who can baptize, who can be baptized, and what makes a baptism valid. Keller is the provincial superior for the USA-Canada Chapter of the Claretian Missionaries and a frequent contributor to U.S. Catholic on issues relating to pastoral ministry, public policy, theology, and ethics. 

You can learn more about this topic, and read some of Keller’s writing, in these links. 

“Baptism, not piety, is what makes us Catholic”
By Don Clemmer
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202307/baptism-not-piety-is-what-makes-us-catholic/ 

“3 things Catholics should remember about baptism”
By John Kyler
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202211/3-things-catholics-should-remember-about-baptism/ 

“Why does baptism have to be so wet?”
By Victoria M. Tufano
https://uscatholic.org/articles/201603/why-does-baptism-have-to-be-so-wet/ 

“Should confirmation be for adults only?”
By Father Paul Keller, C.M.F.
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202206/should-confirmation-be-for-adults-only/ 

“Can a priest withhold communion from a Catholic?”
By Father Paul Keller, C.M.F.
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202109/can-a-priest-withhold-communion-from-a-catholic/ 

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries USA, an order of Catholic priests and brothers who live and work with the most vulnerable among us. To learn more, visit claretians.org.