Jesuitical

Latest Episodes:

The Conclave is more than a referendum on Pope Francis Apr 28, 2025

Show notes

America Magazine’s editors are on the ground in Rome covering the conclave to elect the next pope. As part of the coverage, the team is producing a new podcast episode every day and releasing it on Inside the Vatican and Jesuitical.

In today’s episode, the team discusses:

- The funeral of Pope Francis

- The cardinal’s decision to start the conclave on May 7

- The College of Cardinals by the numbers

- How the conclave is (and isn’t) a referendum on Pope Francis’ pontificate

Hosted by Sebastian Gomes, America’s executive editor of audio and video, and featuring commentary from “Inside the Vatican” co-hosts Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell, Jesuitical hosts Zac Davis and Ashley McKinless, editor in chief Sam Sawyer, SJ, editor at large James Martin, SJ, and senior editor J.D. Long García.

Sign up for America’s exclusive “Conclave Diary” daily newsletter and get all of our extensive coverage at: AmericaMagazine.org

Links:

- Conclave to elect a new pope will start on May 7

- The three surprises of Pope Francis’ funeral

- Mourners from around the world flock to Rome to say goodbye to ‘pope of the people’

- Father James Martin: Don’t be afraid of the conclave—or the next pope

- The papal transition: What you need to know

- Cardinal Becciu will not participate in conclave following dispute over right to vote

- The prayer Rome needs right now: Come, Holy Spirit.

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R.I.P. Pope Francis, feat. his fellow Jesuits Sam Sawyer and James Martin Apr 23, 2025

Show notes

On this week’s episode of “Jesuitical,” Ashley and Zac are joined by America magazine’s editor in chief, Sam Sawyer, S.J., and America editor at large James Martin, S.J., to discuss the life and legacy of Pope Francis, who died at the age of 88 in the early morning of April 21, 2025. He was the first pope from Latin America and the first Jesuit pope.

Zac, Ashley, Sam and Jim discuss:

- Their personal encounters with the pope and how Francis impacted their priesthoods, careers and prayer life

- Pope Francis’ gifts as a pastor—and whether he will have a lasting impact on the papacy

- How Pope Francis responded to criticism and sought to preserve the unity of the church

Links for further reading:

- Pope Francis, trailblazing Jesuit with a heart for the poor, dies at 88

- How Pope Francis changed the place of women in the church

- Pope Francis never stopped being a Jesuit

- Trump, Vance and Biden react to the death of Pope Francis

- A prayer for our beloved Pope Francis

- Vatican releases Pope Francis’ final testament

- What happens after a pope dies?

- Pope Francis died after stroke and heart attack, Vatican says

- Pope Francis’ funeral set for April 26, first photos of his body released

- Before picking a new pope, the cardinals will politick

- In last words, Pope Francis thanked his nurse ‘for bringing me back to the square’

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Jesus as the ultimate scapegoat: The philosophy of René Girard Apr 11, 2025

Show notes

On this week’s episode of “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley chat with Sam Sorich, an award-winning filmmaker teaching film production at John Paul the Great Catholic University in Escondido, California. His latest film, which you can watch on YouTube, is “Things Hidden: The Life and Legacy of René Girard.”

Zac, Ashley and Sam discuss:

- How Sam’s love of filmmaking and faith led him to make a documentary on the life and work of philosopher René Girard

- Mimetic desire, Girard’s central theory of human behavior and relationships

- Girard’s insights that offer a new perspective on Christian theology

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley discuss the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ plan to end a decades-long partnership with the U.S. government related to refugee resettlement after funding cuts from the Trump administration; and the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, the first ecumenical council in the history of the church.

Zoom Event | Praying through Holy Week with ‘Jesuitical’ and Father James Martin

As we enter into Holy Week, join America Media for a subscriber-only virtual event with James Martin, S.J., and “Jesuitical” hosts Zac Davis and Ashley McKinless.

Links for further reading:

Things Hidden: The Life and Legacy of René Girard

8beats

8beats and Cinematic Catholic Beauty: An Interview with Sam Sorich

U.S. bishops will cease refugee resettlement work with government after Trump funding freeze

Nicaea anniversary inspires faith, strengthens mission, theologians say

The Council of Nicaea, Christian unity and a common date for Easter

Pope Francis hopes to travel to Turkey for Council of Nicea’s 1,700th anniversary

"Inside the Vatican": The Council of Nicaea and the struggle for a common date of Easter

Why the Council of Nicaea still matters—1,700 years later

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Catholic Charities USA Head: “We don’t have a choice to ignore the Gospel” Apr 04, 2025

Show notes

Joining Zac and Ashley on this week’s episode of “Jesuitical” is Kerry Robinson, the president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, the domestic humanitarian arm of the Catholic Church in the United States. Kerry was recently awarded the Notre Dame’s Laetare Medal, the oldest and most prestigious honor bestowed exclusively on American Catholics.

Zac, Ashley and Kerry discuss:

- Kerry’s family history of serving the Catholic Church

- The importance of having more women in leadership positions in the church

- How Kerry has navigated challenging political opposition to Catholic Charities’ work with migrants and refugees

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley discuss the Supreme Court’s likelihood to side with Catholic Charities in a religious-rights case; and a recent article in The Economist about Carlo Acutis, who is set to be made the first “millennial saint” on Apr. 27, 2025.

Links for further reading:

Kerry Alys Robinson, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, to receive 2025 Laetare Medal

Catholic Charities USA: Working to Reduce Poverty in America

Supreme Court seems likely to side with Catholic Charities in religious-rights case

The secret life of the first millennial saint

Zac’s NYC marathon Catholic Charities fundraiser

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A deep dive into the (slightly creepy) world of Catholic relics Mar 28, 2025

Show notes

Joining Zac and Ashley on this episode of “Jesuitical” recorded in Douglaston, N.Y., is Msgr. Robert Sarno, a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn and a former official of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. With 38 years of experience in overseeing the process of canonization and beatification of saints, Monsignor Sarno offers a deep dive into the world of Catholic relics, including their history, hierarchy and controversy.

Zac, Ashley and Monsignor Sarno discuss:

- How the devotion to relics began in the early Catholic Church and evolved over time

- The distinction between first-class, second-class and third-class relics

- Contemporary issues with the misuse and trafficking of relics

Links for further reading:

Why every Catholic church altar has a relic inside it

How are saints made in the Catholic Church? Inside the long, complicated and expensive process

St. Thomas Aquinas’ skull went on tour. Here’s what the medieval saint would have said about its veneration

I’ve always loved relics. After my cancer diagnosis, they mean even more to me.

I wear a third-degree relic every day. It reminds me that all things are possible through God.

What to make of holy relics

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Indulgences 101: The history of a controversial Catholic practice Mar 21, 2025

Show notes

On this Jubilee Year of Hope-themed episode of “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley chat with Father Ramil Fajardo, a tribunal judge in the Archdiocese of Chicago, about indulgences: What are they? Where did they come from? And how are they practiced today?

Zac, Ashley and Father Ramil discuss:

- The evolution of indulgences, from the early church through the Protestant Reformation to today

- The four current grants of indulgences, which involve acts of faith, charity, penance and witness

- How to approach indulgences during the current Jubilee Year of Hope

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley discuss a recent announcement from Buckingham Palace that King Charles II and Queen Camilla will be received in a Vatican audience by Pope Francis on April 8; and describe the busy lives of nuns working the Vatican switchboard to soothe anxious callers asking about Pope Francis’ health.

Jesuitical is coming to Philadelphia! Join the Jesuitical team in Philadelphia for a Holy & Happy Hour at the National Shrine of St. Rita of Cascia. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

Topic: How to talk to your friends about your faith

Date: Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Location: 1166 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146

Time: 6 p.m. adoration of the Blessed Sacrament; 7 p.m. group faith sharing and happy hour (come to either or both!)

Links for further reading:

Vatican norms for Jubilee indulgence include pilgrimage, penance, service

The Key Of Heaven: A Prayer Book for Catholics

Manual of Indulgences

The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius

Breaking: Pope Francis will receive King Charles III and Queen Camilla in audience in the Vatican on April 8

At the Vatican switchboard, nuns soothe anxious callers about Pope Francis

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A Catholic neuroscientist explains your brain on religion Mar 14, 2025

Show notes

On “Jesuitical” this week, Zac and Ashley chat with Sofia Carozza, a developmental neuroscientist working in research and a co-host of “The Pilgrim Soul,” a Catholic podcast about the journey of faith in the modern world. Sofia is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Human Network Initiative at Harvard Medical School, where she uses computational modelling to study the role of the early-life environment in the development of the human brain.

Zac, Ashley and Sofia discuss:

- The brain as a “relational organ” linking body and spirit

- The neuroscientific response to the question, “What does it mean to be human?”

- Sofia’s experience as a person of faith in a “secular field”

- Digital technology’s effects on our brains (and faith)

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley give an update on Pope Francis’ health after doctors lifted their “guarded prognosis,” meaning they no longer believe the pope is in imminent danger; next they discuss the lowering the standard age for confirmation in the Archdiocese of Baltimore to 9.

Jesuitical is coming to Philadelphia! Join the Jesuitical team in Philadelphia for a Holy & Happy Hour at the National Shrine of St. Rita of Cascia. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

Topic: How to talk to your friends about your faith

Date: Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Location: 1166 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146

Time: 6:00pm adoration of the Blessed Sacrament; 7:00pm group faith sharing and happy hour

Links for further reading:

“The Pilgrim Soul: A Catholic Podcast”

“An Appraisal of the Neuroscientific Revolution’s Promise of New Theological Horizons” by Sofia Carozza

The Religious Sense by Luigi Giussani

“The Faith of Fr. Luigi Giussani”

Chest X-ray confirms improvements in Pope Francis’ condition

Pope Francis is out of imminent danger. What’s next?

Confirmation age lowered to 9 years old in Archdiocese of Baltimore

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Trump’s clashes with the Catholic Church, Pope health update and history of the Lenten Rice Bowl Mar 07, 2025

Show notes

On “Jesuitical” this week, Zac and Ashley chat with Kim Daniels, the director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University. Kim is a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication, and served in the 2021-24 Synod on Synodality as an expert participant, as a member of the Synod Communications Commission, and as the coordinator of one of the 10 major Synod study groups, which focused on the church’s mission in the digital environment.

Zac, Ashley and Kim discuss:

- How the Catholic Church is responding to the Trump administration’s cuts to USAID

- Kim’s vision for implementing Catholic social teaching in the digital age

- How the church and government partner to serve communities, including some myth-busting about where funds go and how they’re used

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley are joined by Bill O’Keefe, the executive vice president for mission, mobilization and advocacy at Catholic Relief Services, to discuss the 50th anniversary of C.R.S. Rice Bowl—an ecumenical response to the problem of world hunger. Plus: an update on Pope Francis’ health, and the Trump administration terminates the U.S. bishops’ refugee resettlement contract.

Links for further reading:

Trump administration terminates US bishops’ refugee resettlement contract

I led Catholic Relief Services. I’ve seen USAID projects change lives.

Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life

Pope Francis’ hospitalization: The complex picture, three weeks in

Former USCCB spokesperson Kim Daniels appointed to Vatican commission

The interfaith history of the C.R.S. Rice Bowl

The Mission of C.R.S. Rice Bowl

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Pope Francis speaks for the first time from hospital Mar 06, 2025

Show notes

After 21 days of hospitalization, Pope Francis sent a brief message of thanks that was played for those praying for him in St. Peter's Square the night of March 6.

Read Gerard O'Connell's report on the message here.

Visit americamagazine.org for the latest on Pope Francis' health.

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How failing Lent can help you grow in holiness Feb 28, 2025

Show notes

On “Jesuitical” this week, Zac and Ashley are joined by Sister Josephine Garrett, a sister of the Holy Family of Nazareth, a licensed counselor, host of the “Hope Stories” podcast and the author of the new book, Wilderness Within: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation. Presently a counselor in private practice, Sister Josephine earned a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology in 2019. Prior to entering religious life, she worked as vice president in the home loans division of Bank of America. She resides in Tyler, Tex.

Zac, Ashley and Sister Josephine discuss:

- The challenges (and graces) that emerge in the spiritual wilderness

- How therapy and counseling compare to spiritual direction and prayer

- Why Lent promotes deeper reflections on our relationships with others and ourselves

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley are joined by America’seditor at large, James Martin, S.J., to give an update on Pope Francis’ health after his 13th day in Gemelli Hospital, where he is being treated for pneumonia in both of his lungs. They also discuss Father Martin’s viral prayer for the pope during his illness, which is linked below.

Links for further reading:

Wilderness Within: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation

A prayer for Pope Francis during his grave illness

Update: Pope Francis’ CT scan shows ‘normal progression of the lung inflammation’

Pope Francis beats back speculation of imminent death or conclave as he continues pneumonia recovery

Hope Stories with Sr. Josephine Garrett, CSFN

Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth

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