Jesuitical America Media
-
- Religion & Spirituality
-
Welcome to Jesuitical, a podcast for young Catholics hosted by two young, lay editors at America—Zac Davis and Ashley McKinless. Each episode features a guest who offers a unique perspective on faith, culture or current events. We also bring you some of the top (and maybe more obscure) Catholic news of the week. And we'll ask: Where do we find God in all this?
-
Pope Francis used a homophobic slur. How should Catholics respond?
This week on “Jesuitical,” we’re breaking from our usual format to discuss news out of the Vatican that Pope Francis used a homophobic slur while discussing church policy on admitting gay men to the priesthood. To discuss this incident and the apology that followed, Ashley is joined by “Jesuitical” producer Sebastian Gomes; Mike O’Loughlin, executive director of Outreach, a resource for L.G.B.T.Q. Catholics; and Ricardo da Silva, S.J., producer of the “Inside the Vatican” podcast, host of the “Preach” podcast and an associate editor at America.
They discuss:
The context of the incident, the Vatican’s response, and the implications for L.G.B.T.Q. Catholics
Vatican policy about gay men in seminaries and the history of Francis’ outreach to L.G.B.T.Q. Catholics
Advice for those affected by the pope’s comments
Links from the show:
I am a gay priest. We need more than an apology for Pope Francis’ homophobic slur.
Pope Francis used an anti-gay slur. What now for L.G.B.T.Q. Catholics?
Pope Francis says Italian seminaries should reject gay applicants
Vatican issues apology after Pope Francis’ use of an anti-gay slur
Pope Francis’ remarks about gay seminarians ‘taken out of context and used to divide,’ Italian bishop says
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Discerning the spirits with Eric Sundrup, S.J.
This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley are live at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, for a conversation with Eric Sundrup, S.J., who provides spiritual direction (or spiritual violence, depending on who you ask) for the podcast. The hosts and Eric share their own experiences discerning their paths as young adults and offer insights from Jesuit spirituality to young people navigating big life questions.
They discuss:
The need for community and friends you can be vulnerable with while discerning
How consolation and desolation can guide discernment
Advice for young people discerning their path
During Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley are joined by Stuart Wilson-Smith, C.S.P., the Catholic chaplain at the University of California, Los Angeles, to discuss the recent student protests taking place on campus. Father Stu describes the scene on U.C.L.A.’s campus, how the Catholic center offered support and spaces for interfaith dialogue to students, and where he saw God amid the protests.
Links from the show:
UCLA’s Catholic chaplain: The world saw scenes of violence at campus protests. Here’s what they didn’t see.
Learn more about the Paulists
What’s on tap?
Kentucky Bourbon from the Neeley Family Distillery
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
We’re all Cafeteria Catholics
Ryan Burge set out to learn how many Catholics agree with church teachings on three key pro-life issues: abortion, euthanasia and the death penalty. The answer? Fewer than 1 percent. This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley are joined by Ryan, an associate professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University and the author of the “Graphs about Religion” Substack, to discuss his findings on the beliefs of American Catholics today.
They discuss:
Trends in Catholic opinion on pro-life issues.
How faith-based beliefs and secular politics interact in our polarized society.
The role of data in understanding religious trends and effectively communicating church teaching.
In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley discuss the eucharistic pilgrimages taking place ahead of July’s National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. They also cover the controversial commencement speech given by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker at Benedictine College.
Links from the show:
Cafeteria Catholicism?
Planning to join up with the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage? Here’s what you need to know.
Harrison Butker’s commencement speech and the danger of a Catholic ‘dead traditionalism’
Young U.S. Catholics want more orthodoxy. That doesn’t mean they reject Vatican II.
Podcast: When Catholic doctrine can change—and when it can’t
What’s on tap?
Carajillos (2 parts cold brew, 2 parts Licor 43)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
A singer-songwriter inspired by Saint (and Pope) Francis
This week on Jesuitical, Zac and Ashley are joined by Andrea Von Kampen, a singer-songwriter and friend of the show. Hailing from Lincoln, Neb., Andrea discusses her new album, “Sister Moon.” (For those keeping track at home, yes, that is a St. Francis of Assisi reference.) Recorded at Union Pool in Brooklyn, N.Y., they share a wide-ranging conversation touching on spirituality, live music, the environment and more.
They discuss:
The spiritual and environmental influences on “Sister Moon”
How Andrea writes about important issues without being preachy
The joys and challenges of touring as a singer-songwriter, especially post-Covid
In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley cover the ins and outs of the recent synod meeting of parish priests at the Vatican. They also discuss a “home blessing challenge” in Cincinnati, then close out by talking about the Catholics who recently received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from a fellow Catholic, President Joe Biden.
Links from the Show
Sister Moon
Andrea Von Kampen's website
Parish priests had a synod meeting with the Vatican. But will they be included in October’s assembly?
Cincinnati priests compete to meet parishioners in home blessing challenge
Jesuit Father Gregory Boyle and Nancy Pelosi to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Francesco: A Pope Francis Documentary
What’s on tap?
Nine Pin Hard Cider
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
D.C’s Cardinal Gregory on the Synod, Pope Francis and our political climate
This week on Jesuitical, Zac and Ashley share their conversation with Cardinal Wilton Gregory on the role of a church in a polarized society. As the Archbishop of Washington, D.C., “the epicenter of division,” Cardinal Gregory has devoted himself to bringing people together across vast political and faith-based differences, lending profound insight (and humor!) to this live conversation, which was hosted by Georgetown University’s Catholic Social Thought and Public Life and Leadership Roundtable.
They discuss:
Cardinal Gregory’s conversion as a boy and life as a priest
Watching people come together through the synod, from diocesan meetings to the universal session in Rome
The cardinal’s advice for young people who feel disengaged from politics
During Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley are joined by one of Jesuitical’s assistant producers, Delaney Coyne, to break down a recent debacle surrounding an A.I. priest. They cover the laicization of Catholic Answers’ “Father Justin” and discuss the kind of insights this technology can—and can’t—provide.
Want to advertise your school, ministry program, book or anything else on Jesuitical? Send us an email at jesuitical@americamedia.org
Links from the show
The real lesson behind the ‘Father Justin’ AI priest debacle.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
The quirky history (and future) of papal conclaves
Few events inspire a media spectacle quite like the election of a pope. The white smoke, cardinals locked in the Sistine Chapel, secret ballots and ancient rules—it’s catnip for secular and Catholic journalists alike. But how did these customs evolve—and how might they change in the future?
To find out, Zac and Ashley talk with Miles Pattenden, a historian, expert in the history of papal conclaves and the author of Electing the Pope in Early Modern Italy, 1450-1700.
They discuss:
How the election of popes evolved from St. Peter to today
The role of the Holy Spirit—and politicking—inside conclaves
And whether the secrecy of conclaves can survive in a modern world that prizes transparency
In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley discuss a new Justice Department investigation into last year’s leaked F.B.I. memo about the potential domestic threat posed by “traditional Catholics.” Plus, in a talk about forgiveness, a Michigan bishop called on Catholics not to “hate” politicians like Joe Biden—and then called the president stupid.
Want to advertise your school, ministry program, book or anything else on Jesuitical? Send us an email at jesuitical@americamedia.org
Links from the show:
No Bias Found in F.B.I. Report on Catholic Extremists
Biden ‘doesn't understand the Catholic faith,’ bishop says: ‘I’m not angry at him, he’s just stupid’
Electing the Pope in Early Modern Italy, 1450-1700, by Miles Pattenden
MilesPattenden.com
What’s on tap?
Amaro Spritz
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Customer Reviews
Not just for the young and hip
I have two podcasts I never miss and this is one of them. I’m just sorry it’s only once a week! I am 69 years old and I absolutely love it! Does that mean I’m old and hip? Doesn’t matter, I love the Church and this podcast helps me see so many different points of view within the Church. I really want everyone to listen to Jesuitical 🥰
Thanks but no thanks!
Not what I would expect from a publication associated with the Society of Jesus.
Thank you!!
Really appreciated your last episode - and many before it! Thank you for bringing your faith, your minds and your questions to the air - you provide a thoughtful, informed, open to modernism, real perspective I really relate to. I also appreciate the mix of components on your show (news, a focus, and where you’ve found God). Now I just have to join in on the cocktail component ;).