Jesuitical is a podcast from America Media for saints and sinners. Tune in every week for honest conversations about the Catholic Church and our world todayâsometimes over drinks. Hosted by Ashley McKinless and Zac Davis.
AMDG
This week on Jesuitical, Colleen Dulle joins hosts Zac Davis and Sebasian Gomes to discuss Pope Leoâs recent visit to France, including his messages on assisted dying, European identity and the role of the Catholic Church in a secular country. Colleen also reflects on her experience of traveling with the pope for the first time.
â Sign up for Colleenâs newsletter, Vatican Notebookâ !
Chapters:
00:00 First time on the papal plane!
4:02 Why Pope Leo went to France
6:45 Catholic revival?
9:43 Secularity in France
14:02 Pro-life issues in France
17:57 Is Europe a "Christian" culture?
24:55 Pope meets abuse victims
34:08 Liturgy and division
Links:
â Pope Leoâs trip to France wonât be a victory lapâand thatâs a good thing.â
â Vatican Notebook: Pope Leo navigates tensions between secularism and Catholic history on France visitâ
â âMore than a monumentâ: Pope Leoâs speech at the newly renovated Notre-Dameâ
â Pope Leo draws 800,000 to Mass in the heart of Parisâ
â Vatican Notebook: Pope Leo addresses French conversion boom, warns against complacencyâ
â Pope speaks out against French assisted-dying and abortion laws in Lourdes visitâ
â Mother: Pope Leoâs blessing of special-needs daughter recognizes âsegment of humanity often set asideââ
â Pope Leo meets with survivors of abuse in Lourdesâ
â Pope Leo: Europe must return to path of dialogue, not military buildupâ
â Pope Leo is not âin panic modeâ about an A.I. catastrophe, but âwe canât just sit backâ and do nothingâ
You can sign up for Colleen's 'Vatican Notebook' newsletter â hereâ : â https://www.americamagazine.org/sign-up-for-vatican-notebook-email-newsletterâ
Follow Colleen on Instagram: â @colleendulleâ Â
Support the show by becoming a â subscriber to America Magazineâ !
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week on the âJesuiticalâ podcast, Ashley McKinless and Zac Davis speak with Rachel Lu about the beatification of Fulton Sheen, the American archbishop who was famous for his media evangelism in the mid-20th century. Rachel is a senior editor at Law and Liberty and a regular contributor to the National Review and America Magazine. Together they discuss Sheenâs charisma, cultural influence, and his lesser known political philosophy which defended both the public role of religion and the separation of church and state. Â
Chapters:
Chapters:
00:00 Beatification of Fulton Sheen
01:23 When Fulton Sheen arrived on the scene
05:20 Sheenâs philosophical training
07:34 Fighting communism
11:22 What made Sheenâs TV show so popular?
13:51 What Sheen would think of America today?
26:09 The first celebrity bishop?
34:19 Introducing "Auguri!"
36:15 Faith sharing: Praying about using A.I.
Links from the show:
Fulton Sheen Bet on America. Some Catholics Want to Call It Off.
Pope Leo calls Archbishop Fulton Sheen âa light of faithâ who touched millions with the Gospel
Archbishop Fulton Sheen to be beatified Sept. 24 in St. Louis
Sign up for our newsletter, Vatican Notebook!
You can follow us on X and on Instagram @jesuiticalshow. Â
You can find us on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/jesuitical.Â
Support Jesuitical by becoming a digital subscriber to America magazine at americamagazine.org/subscribe
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
U.S. Bishops are finding their voice. What will they say about A.I.?
On this weekâs episode of âJesuitical,â Zac Davis and Sebastian Gomes speak with Americaâs President and Editor in Chief, Sam Sawyer, S.J. to discuss the impact that U.S. bishops are having on politics, AI, and more. Bishops are speaking out against war, mass deportations, the death penalty and racism, and their voices are breaking through. In this episode, Zac, Sebastian and Sam talk about why theyâre having a moment, the influence of Pope Leo, and the opportunities for shaping the future of A.I.
Chapters:
00:00 Growing influence of Bishops on US politics
04:35 Opposing mass deportationÂ
10:30 Engaging with the Trump Administration
14:05 Bishops are finding new ways to talk about issues
18:00 The influence of Pope Leo
22:43 Where Bishops stand on A.I.
29:54 How U.S. Bishops can implement Magnifica humanitas
32:55 Opportunities around A.I.
Links:Â
The U.S. bishops are speaking out forcefully on politicsâand finally being heard
Top US bishop writes letter to Trump urging end to mass deportations of Haitians
Why are there so few African American bishops? âThe short answer is racismâ says Bishop Boxie
Bishop Olson on racism
US bishops form new task force over AI concerns, meet with tech leaders
Pope Francis to U.S. Catholic bishops: Oppose mass deportations
Analysis: The U.S. bishops showed their unity on behalf of immigrantsâand may have repaired their relationship to Rome
Artificial Intelligence: United States Conference of Catholic BishopsÂ
USCCB Positions on Artificial Intelligence
Support Jesuitical by becoming a digital subscriber to America magazine at americamagazine.org/subscribe
You can follow us on X and on Instagram @jesuiticalshow. Â
You can find us on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/jesuitical.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
SSPX Excommunicated: History, Pope Leo and why it all goes back to Vatican II
Schisms donât happen often in the Catholic Church. Which makes Pope Leoâs recent excommunication of the Society of Saint Pius X big news. This week on Jesuitical, hosts Zac and Ashley speak to Shaun Blanchard, Senior Lecturer in Theology at the University of Notre Dame Australia, about the history of the SSPX, their illicit decision to ordain new bishops, and what their excommunication means for more traditional groups within the Catholic Church.
Chapters:
00:00 Why we're talking about the SSPX
01:42 Why the SSPX was excommunicated
04:55 Why Archbishop Lefebvre rejected Vatican II
9:38 Lefebvre's problem with religious liberty
14:20 Was this a debate over liturgy?
18:00 Ordaining bishops crosses a line
21:33 How 17th c. Jansenism illuminates the crisis
28:45 Restricting the traditional Latin Mass
35:05 How excommunication works
38:52 Implications for the traditional Latin Mass
47:16 There's no going back on Vatican II
49:48 Learning to appreciate Vatican II
Links:Â
Vatican declares excommunicated SSPX bishops, warns priests and lay faithful of schism
Analysis: SSPX excommunications show what Pope Leo means by church âunityâ
After SSPX excommunications, traditionalist Catholics face a difficult choice
5 years after Pope Francisâ Latin Mass restrictions, traditionalist Catholics reflect on âTraditionis Custodesâ
After SSPX schism, some Catholics urge greater access to the older Latin Mass
Latin Mass, schism and cardinals in the media: The liturgy wars are back (and never really left)
Support Jesuitical by becoming a digital subscriber to America magazine at americamagazine.org/subscribe
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Pope Leo and Trump arenât the first feuding leaders: a history of papal power clashes
When President Trump took to Truth Social earlier this year and attacked Pope Leo for being âWEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,â most Catholics were understandably shocked. But a clash between a secular leader and the bishop of Rome is hardly without precedent. This week on âJesuitical,â hosts Zac Davis and Ashley McKinless talk with Miles Pattendens, an expert on popes and papal conclaves, about the long and quirky history of feuds between popes and politicians.
In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley discuss the Vatican rejection of a request from the German bishops to allow lay people to preach the homily at Mass. Plus, a look ahead at Pope Leoâs summer plans.Â
And in As One Friends Speak to Another, America Mediaâs OâHare fellowsâBrigid McCabe, Ed Desciak and Will Gualitiereâshare some spiritual insights from a year working at the intersection of the church and the world.Â
Jesuitical listener survey
00:00 Context
2:47 Vatican says "no" to women preaching
12:07 Pope Leo's summer schedule
16:05 History of Catholic authority
19:46 The investiture controversy
26:03 Pastoral concern or power grabs?
34:27 Henry VIII vs. Popes
39:20 How the church lost power
43:10 Moral authority on the global stage
52:00 Donald Trump's attacks on Pope Leo
1:00:10 Fill out our listener survey! https://forms.gle/yggZcBKeXYKbWYpM7
1:01:12 Faith sharing with our Fellows!
Learn about America Magazine's Joseph A. OâHare, S.J., Postgraduate Media Fellowship: https://www.americamagazine.org/ohare-fellows
Jesuitical listener survey: https://forms.gle/yggZcBKeXYKbWYpM7
Links:
Vatican to German bishops: No lay people preaching homilies at Mass
Extraordinary consistory signals Pope Leoâs push to work with cardinals on global challenges
Pope Leo speaks out on SSPX ordinations and U.S.-Iran deal
Pope Leo to accept Liberty Medal and address Americans on July 3
Electing the Pope in Early Modern Italy, 1450-1700
Support Jesuitical by becoming a digital subscriber to America Magazine!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What the Lost Sheep parable says about individuality, tribalism and communion
This week on âJesuitical,â Zac and Ashley sit down with Luke Burgis, the director of the Cluny Institute at The Catholic University of America and the author of The One and the Ninety-Nine: Forging Identity in the Age of Social Contagion. They discuss why we join and leave tribes, how to form a âsolidâ self and what healthy group identity looks like.
In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley discuss Vice President JD Vanceâs new memoir on converting to Catholicism, the consecration of the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and new statutes for the Vaticanâs commission for the protection of minors. Plus, Pope Leo wraps up his successful trip to Spain on the Canary Islandsâbut has some trouble getting off them.
And in As One Friend Speaks to Another, Zac shares what heâs thinking about going into his very first Fatherâs Day.
0:00 Intro
3:30 J.D. Vanceâs new book âCommunionâ
9:36 U.S. bishops meet for annual meeting in Orlando
19:44 Pope Leo finishes Spain trip
21:39 Papal plane trouble
24:25 Interview with Luke Burgis
25:52 The parable of the lost sheep
31:16 The age of social contagion
33:56 What Luke learned in seminary
38:05 Is your community good for you?
42:27 People respond to aesthetics
46:30 The importance of distance
48:46 The Catholic Church is unique as a community
57:20 What is the Cluny Institute?
1:02:25 What about AI?
1:05:24 Canonization
1:08:07 As One Friend Speaks to Another
Links:
The One and the Ninety-Nine: Forging Identity in the Age of Social Contagion
Learn more about the Cluny Institute
JD Vance writes about his journey to Catholicism in his new book, âCommunionâ
Consecration 101: What the bishopsâ upcoming consecration of the US to the Sacred Heart means
Pope Leo XIV approves new statutes for child protection commission
Pope Leo ends visit to Spain with a call to repent
Whatâs on tap?
Sancerre
You can follow us on X and on Instagram @jesuiticalshow. Â
You can find us on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/jesuitical.Â
Please consider supporting Jesuitical by becoming a digital subscriber to America magazine at americamagazine.org/subscribe
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week on âJesuiticalâ, Ashley McKinless and Zac Davis talk to Dianne Bergant, C.S.A., who taught Scripture at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago for 44 years. She also served as Americaâs Word columnist from 2002 to 2005. During her time at CTU, Sr. Dianne had one very famous student, Robert Prevostâthe future Pope Leo XIV. With Sr. Dianne, Zac and Ashley discuss what itâs like to be the teacher of a future pope and how approaches to teaching Scripture have evolved over time.
During Signs of the Times, Ashley and Zac unpack Pope Leoâs trip to Spain and a new Sagrada Familia Lego Set, and they talk sports with Catholic perspectives on the World Cup and NBA Finalsâfeaturing some words from OâHare Fellow Ed Desciak.Â
In âAs One Friend Speaks to Another,â Ashley shares an exciting announcement.
Links from the show:
Pope Leo defends the unborn and migrants in historic speech to Spanish parliament
More than one million attend Pope Leoâs Mass and procession in the heart of Madrid
Pope Leo meets Bad Bunny in Madrid
In Spain, Pope Leo denounces polarization and hails commitment to multilateralism
Lego announces new set designed after Spainâs Sagrada FamĂlia basilica
Oligarchs canât ruin the World CupÂ
Celebrating faith and FIFA: Italian-American community welcomes soccer legends
Your Catholic Guide to the 2026 N.B.A. Finals: Spurs Sisters vs. Villanova Knicks
You can follow us on X and on Instagram @jesuiticalshow. Â
You can find us on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/jesuitical.Â
Support Jesuitical by becoming a digital subscriber to America magazine at americamagazine.org/subscribe
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week on âJesuitical,â Zac and Ashley speak with Mary Kate Polanin, the executive editor of The Good Newsroom, the digital news outlet of the Archdiocese of New York. They discuss the important and changing role of diocesan communications, Catholics in the digital space and New Yorkâs new archbishop.
In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley discuss Pope Leoâs surprising and historic choice to lead the Vaticanâs Dicastery for Communication and dig into the advice âMagnifica Humanitasâ offers to each of us when it comes to navigating our relationship with A.I. Plus: Pope Leo heads to Spain on Saturdayâand Bad Bunny is hoping they cross paths.Â
Links from the show:
Pope Leo appoints president of EWTN News as head of Vatican communications
Americaâs coverage of âMagnifica Humanitasâ
Bad Bunny wants to meet Pope Leo XIV. In Madrid, a crossover event is in the works.
The Good Newsroom
You can follow us on X and on Instagram @jesuiticalshow. Â
You can find us on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/jesuitical.Â
Please consider supporting Jesuitical by becoming a digital subscriber to America magazine at americamagazine.org/subscribe
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week on Jesuitical: A feed drop of this week's special âInside the Vaticanâ roundtable, a discussion of âMagnifica Humanitas,â Pope Leoâs groundbreaking first encyclical on protecting the human person in the age of artificial intelligence. Host Colleen Dulle sits down with her co-host and senior Vatican correspondent, Gerard OâConnell, as well as Americaâs president and editor in chief, Sam Sawyer, S.J.
They discuss the documentâs key takeaways, how it is being received in Silicon Valley, Pope Leoâs challenge for every Catholic in the A.I. age and much more.Â
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:11 Pope Leo present for the launch of his own encyclical
4:21 How the encyclical is being received by the tech community
8:43 Magnifica Humanitas on the growth of Catholic social teaching
13:16 Acknowledging the Churchâs role in slavery
15:53 Exploring Pope Leoâs ecclesiology
22:30 Leoâs concrete recommendations for A.I.
32:30 How lay people can deal with A.I.
37:40 Outro
Links:
Read âMagnifica Humanitasâ
Pope Leoâs first encyclical tackles A.I., power and human dignity
Pope Leo XIV makes historic apology for the Catholic Churchâs role in legitimizing slavery
Why Pope Leoâs new encyclical quotes Gandalf: Literary images of hope and faith in âMagnifica Humanitasâ
A capitalist (priest) reads âMagnifica Humanitasâ
Support Jesuitical by becoming a digital subscriber to America Magazine
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices