Jesuitical

Latest Episodes:

When Catholic doctrine can change–and when it can’t Oct 25, 2023

Show notes

This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley discuss a, if not the, big question hanging over the synod: Can it change church teaching? They unpack the place of authority, doctrinal development and the synod with Richard Gaillardetz, the Joseph Professor of Catholic Systematic Theology at Boston College and the author of a foundational text on the levels of church teaching: By What Authority?: A Primer on Scripture, the Magisterium, and the Sense of the Faithful.

They ask Dr. Gaillardetz:

What’s the difference between a dogma, doctrine and teaching?
What do I need to believe to be Catholic? Is it O.K. to disagree with church teaching?
How has church teaching developed throughout history?

In Signs of the Times, the synod enters its final week with discussion on the synthesis report, and an Australian theologian addresses concerns some synod delegates have about tradition and the development of doctrine.

Links from the show:

Purchase By What Authority? Foundations for Understanding Authority in the Church, by Richard Gaillardetz
Synod: Fr Ormond Rush's theological reflection on Synthesis Report

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Catholic influencers or digital missionaries? Bringing the synod to the internet Oct 20, 2023

Show notes

As a young adult, José Manuel de Urquidi had a lot of questions about faith but couldn’t find satisfying answers. He went to law school, opened a craft brewery and started a family, but it wasn’t until he started podcasting that he found his purpose as a digital missionary.

José is a voting member in the synod on synodality at the Vatican this month and his advocacy for evangelizing–or rather listening–in digital spaces is turning heads. Leading up to the synod, he worked closely with the synod secretariat to get the word out on dozens of digital platforms. The result is the digital synod “continental” document, which centers previously unheard voices of those who are or feel excluded from the traditional structures of the Church.

In Signs of the Times, Ashley and Zac break open the final thematic module of the synod that’s currently being discussed: Participation, governance and authority.

Links

Synod Diary: Will the synod change its members?

Synod cardinal from Brazil: In the Amazon ‘everyone votes, except the bishop’

The digital synod continental document

What’s on Tap?

Lokita Mezcal

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The French Dominican bringing Middle East Catholics’ concerns to Rome Oct 18, 2023

Show notes

This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley turn their attention to the Middle East. Their guest is Olivier Poquillon, O.P., a French Dominican priest who, until recently, served as the pastor of a Catholic Church in Mosul, Iraq. That church was almost completely destroyed by ISIS in 2014 when the terrorist group took over one of the few remaining religiously diverse communities in the country. After ISIS was driven from the city, Father Poquillon returned to oversee the reconstruction of the church. He was recently named the director of the École Biblique in Jerusalem—the oldest biblical and archaeological research center in the Holy Land—and is on the commission for methodology for the Synod on Synodality here in Rome.

Zac and Ashley talk to Father Poquillon about:

The history of religious diversity and violence in Mesopotamia, the birthplace of the Abrahamic faiths
What Pope Francis’ 2021 visit to Iraq meant to the people of Mosul
What he heard from the Catholics living in the Middle East during their local synodal sessions

In Signs of the Times, the hosts discuss the latest Catholic developments related to the war between Israel and Hamas, including the news that Pope Francis might know one of the Argentine victims of the Oct. 7 massacre. Next, they talk about the pope’s new apostolic exhortation on St. Thérèse of Lisieux, “the Little Flower.”

Links from the show:

What’s on tap?

Chianti Classico

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The risks of the Vatican's synod media strategy Oct 16, 2023

Show notes

Listen to this full bonus episode on Patreon!

Ashley and Zac are joined by their colleagues, Sebastian Gomes and Colleen Dulle to break down the curious media strategy around the Vatican's synod on synodality. Synod members are "fasting" from public speaking after Pope Francis decried what he perceived to be distorted media narratives around previous synods. But this media blackout strategy brings very real risks.

Support Jesuitical and access bonus content–including this full episode–on Patreon.

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The lay woman bringing Catholic social teaching to the heart of Vatican Oct 13, 2023

Show notes

Ashley and Zac get schooled in social justice from a Latin American perspective. Emilce Cuda, the Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America and the highest ranking lay woman working in the Vatican, joins the podcast to explain how “el pueblo”—ordinary, working class people—are at the forefront of a burgeoning synodal church. They also discuss:

Populism in Latin America versus North America
Pope Francis’ vision for a church that does social justice
What it’s like working as a lay woman in the Vatican

In Signs of the Times, the hosts share updates about the synod on synodality, including some of the hot topics emerging from inside the hall: concern for the poor, the environment, welcoming marginalized groups including women and LGBT Catholics, formation and a lot more. They also discuss Pope Francis’ remarks concerning the terrorist attack on Israel last Saturday.

What’s on tap:

Malbec (from Argentina!)

Links:

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What it’s like giving a speech inside a synod of bishops Oct 11, 2023

Show notes

The synod on synodality learned a lot from the young people who attended the youth synod in 2018, says Julian Paparella, who was 25 years old when he addressed hundreds of bishops in that assembly. Now studying in Rome, he joins Zac and Ashley to shed light on the dynamic at work inside synods and how the process has evolved over the past five years to truly listen to lay—and especially younger—people. They also discuss:

The young people’s call in 2018 for greater inclusion of women in the church
The balance between learning synodality and tackling the hot-button issues that matter to many people who feel excluded from the church
How conversion happens inside a synod among the participants

In Signs of the Times, the part of the show where the hosts sift through Catholic news of the week, the hosts discuss the complicated process of the discussions in the synod on synodality.

Links

Julian Paparella’s Synodal Intervention

America’s synod coverage

What’s on Tap?

Birra Moretti

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Everything you need to know about the Synod on Synodality Oct 06, 2023

Show notes

Hello from Rome! Ashley and Zac are joined by their colleague Gerard O’Connell, a journalist who has covered the Vatican since 1985. They bring questions from listeners about the Synod on Synodality, which began this week: How will the discussions inside the synod hall work? How will the synod deal with internal polarization? What will determine the success of this synod? They also discuss:

The changes that Pope Francis has brought to the synod, making it more open and inclusive.
How to listen and remain open to the Holy Spirit.
Lay involvement in the synod, especially of women and young people.

Links from the Show

What’s on Tap?

Falanghina (Italian white wine)

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The Holy Spirit: The most misunderstood person of the trinity? Sep 29, 2023

Show notes

This week on Jesuitical, Zac and Ashley are joined by Chris Hadley, S.J., to talk about the oft-overshadowed third person of the Trinity: the Holy Spirit. Father Hadley, an associate professor of systematic theology at Santa Clara University, uses his expertise in pneumatology to guide us through a great discussion about:

How Catholics understand the Spirit, from biblical times to today
Signs of the Holy Spirit at work in the world
How Catholics can open themselves to the Holy Spirit—at the Synod and beyond

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley announce that they will travel to Rome to cover the Synod on Synodality, which is shaping up to be the biggest church event since Vatican II. Jesuitical will cover the broader themes at the synod and welcome guests from around the world to share their insight and experience. They will be recording twice a week, with some episodes exclusive to Patreon, so subscribe for all of our coverage.

Links from the Show

Christopher M. Hadley, S.J.

America’s synod coverage plans

What’s on Tap?

Old-Fashioneds

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The Catholics responding to New York’s migrant crisis Sep 22, 2023

Show notes

This week on Jesuitical, Zac and Ashley are talking about the migrant crisis in New York City and the work Catholics are doing to respond. They are joined by Richard Slizeski, the senior vice president for mission at Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens. They talk to him about:

Migrants’ often harrowing experiences coming to the United States
What’s missing in the political debates around the migrant crisis in New York
How Catholic Charities’ mission and Catholic identity informs their work on the ground

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley discuss recent revelations about what World War II-era Pope Pius XII knew about the Holocaust as it was occuring, as well as Pope Francis’ recent conversation with Bill Clinton.

Links from the Show

What’s on Tap?

Dark beer—Guinness stout, specifically

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Catholic seminarians need therapy (like the rest of us) Sep 15, 2023

Show notes

This week, Zac and Ashley are talking about the psychological care that seminarians (i.e., priests-in-training) receive as part of their formation. They are joined by Maribel Laguna, the founder and owner of Cor Sacrum Counseling and Consulting. They talk to Maribel about:

The Catholic Church’s relationship with psychology and counseling, historically and today
The unique challenges seminarians are facing
The type of psychological screening that goes into the decision to accept someone into a seminary program

In Signs of the Times, they discuss Pope Francis’ new pick to lead the Vatican’s doctrinal office and the best thing to go on tour in the United States this year: the relic of St. Jude’s arm.

Links from the show:

Pope Francis appoints Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernandez as the new head of Vatican office for doctrine

St. Jude’s arm is on tour in the US; tour schedule

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What’s on tap?

Grapefruit Margarita

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