The Commonweal Podcast

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Ep. 99 - Hot & Bothered Mar 09, 2023

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In communities across the United States, the effects of climate change are already displacing tens of thousands of Americans from their homes. How should the federal government respond? What are the responsibilities of homeowners and insurers?

These questions lie at the heart of The Great Displacement: Climate Change and the Next American Migration, a new book by Jake Bittle, a reporter and staff writer at Grist.

On this episode, Bittle joins Commonweal managing editor Isa Simon for a wide-ranging discussion about how sea-level rise, extreme heat, and water scarcity are reshaping American society.

For further reading:

Bill McKibben on suburban development and the environment
Vincent Miller on the theology of wildfires
Solmaz Daryani documents drought in Iran

Ep. 98 - Gustavo Arellano’s California Feb 23, 2023

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Los Angeles Times columnist and podcast host Gustavo Arellano is well known for his acerbic sense of humor and his commitment to holding powerful figures to account.

On this episode, Arellano joins Commonweal Director of Mission & Partnerships Claudia Avila Cosnahan for a wide-ranging conversation on his prolific career in journalism.

They touch on a number of Southern California topics, including food, faith, and film, as well as local politics, history, and culture.

For further reading:

Nicole-Ann Lobo on the art of Yolanda López
Claudia Avila Cosnahan on Our Lady of Guadalupe
The editors on the 2019 L.A. teachers’ strike

Ep. 97 - Ukraine, Revisited Feb 09, 2023

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It’s been nearly a year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and we’ve since become accustomed to tragic reports and gruesome images of the war.

But there’s another side of Ukraine—its complicated history and rich culture—that’s seldom seen by Americans.

On this episode, we’re joined by Megan Buskey, author of Ukraine Is Not Dead Yet: A Family Story of Exile and Return.

Using family history as a window into broader dynamics within Ukraine, Buskey touches on a number of topics, including memory, migration, and the war’s impact on young Ukrainians.

For further reading:

John Connelly explains what makes Ukraine different
Kathryn David on Ukraine’s Greek Catholic Church
Adrian Bonenberger on Ukraine’s Orthodox spirituality

Ep. 96 - Unity, not Uniformity Jan 26, 2023

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It’s no secret that the demographics of the American Catholic Church are changing rapidly and radically. The future of Catholic parishes depends on their ability to welcome and adapt.

On this episode, we speak with Candler School of Theology professor Susan Bigelow Reynolds, also a regular Commonweal contributor.

Her new book People Get Ready: Ritual, Solidarity, and Lived Ecclesiology in Catholic Roxburyoffers an ethnographic and theological deep-dive into how one small Boston parish has managed to revel in difference, rather than eradicate it.

For further reading:

Susan Bigelow Reynolds on the parish’s changing landscape
Brett Hoover on the ethics of shared parishes
James Chappell on how the Church became modern

Ep. 95 - Must We Forgive? Jan 12, 2023

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When a crime is committed or moral injury occurs, we often respond in one of two ways: we condemn the offense and seek redress, or we declare our willingness to forgive and move on.

But a reflexive willingness to pardon—though praised by the Christian tradition—can actually be a problem, argues Matthew Potts. He’s a professor and pastor at Harvard Divinity School, and author of the new book Forgiveness: An Alternative Account.

Joined by Commonweal literary editor Anthony Domestico, Potts explains how his novel account of forgiveness demands a habit of non-retaliation, and why literary fiction provides the perfect vantage point for parsing the moral complexity of mercy.

For further reading:

Clifford Thompson on Wendell Berry and forgiveness
Adam DeVille on counseling sex offenders
B.D. McClay on the sacrament of reconciliation

Ep. 94 - Best of 2022 Dec 22, 2022

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On this episode, we’re revisiting four of our favorite conversations from the past year.

Mallory McMorrow explains how her faith informs her politics and denounces the GOP’s “performative nonsense.” Mollie Wilson O’Reilly and Natalia Imperatori-Lee react to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Fr. James Martin, SJ talks about his expanding ministry with LGBTQ Catholics. And Kim Haines-Eitzen shares desert recordings that shed light on ancient Christian monasticism.

Have a great holiday. We’ll be back with new episodes in January.

Listen to the full conversations here:

‘McMorrow’s Way,’ with Mallory McMorrow
‘Is This What We Wanted?’ with Mollie Wilson O’Reilly and Natalia Imperatori-Lee
‘An Early Spring,’ with Fr. James Martin, SJ
‘Sounds of Silence,’ with Kim Hains-Eitzen

Ep. 93 - A Flock without Shepherds? Dec 08, 2022

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Last month saw the election of Archbishop Timothy Broglio as leader of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops—a choice seen by many as a reactionary rebuke to Pope Francis and his synodal agenda.

On this episode, regular Commonweal contributor Massimo Faggioli joins editor Dominic Preziosi to discuss what Archbishop Broglio’s leadership might mean for the U.S. Church. They touch on a number of other topics, including how Catholics voted in the midterms, the sixtieth anniversary of Vatican II, and the ongoing fallout from the abuse crisis.

And, in anticipation of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Natalia Imperatori-Lee, professor of religious studies at Manhattan College, explains how the art and activism of Yolanda López can help us recognize the holiness of lo cotidiano, the everyday.

For further reading:

‘No Longer the Bishops’ Church?” Massimo Faggioli
‘The Art of Activism,” Nicole-Ann Lobo
‘Encounters Between Equals,’ Timothy Matovina

Ep. 92 - Which Latino Voter? Nov 22, 2022

Show notes

In the aftermath of the midterm elections, political experts and the media are once again trying to make sense of the choices that Latino voters made at the ballot box.

On this episode, editor Dominic Preziosi is joined by Eli Valentin, a contributing columnist at Gotham Gazette and frequent political analyst for Univision New York, who says that much of that analysis misses the mark.

Valentin doesn’t just highlight the myths about Latino voters that need debunking. As a former pastor attuned to how beliefs shape elections, he suggests that a new “political pastoral theological agenda” could help many more voters, not just Latinos, think differently about their decisions at the polls.

For further reading:

“Sweet Home Hialeah,” César J. Baldelomar
“The Complicated Case of Hispanic Voters,” Brandon Sanchez
“Who Will Save the Bronx,” Eileen Markey

Ep. 91 - Care, Commodified Nov 04, 2022

Show notes

Women who cross the border to perform care work for American families—cleaning their homes, running their errands, and raising their kids—number among the most hidden and undervalued laborers in our society. Too often, their voices go unheard.

On this episode, Commonweal associate editor Regina Munch speaks with Elizabeth Cummins Muñoz, a lecturer at Rice University and author of Mothercoin: The Stories of Immigrant Nannies.

Cummins Muñoz points out that while these workers don't see themselves as “victims,” the conflict between providing care and being paid to do it—sometimes at the expense of one's own family—can be devastating.

For further reading:

“The Empowerment Trap,” Emma McDonald
“Putting Ourselves Together Again,” Rebecca Bratten Weiss
“The Feminist Wife,” Kate Lucky

Ep. 90 - A City to Live In Oct 20, 2022

Show notes

It’s no secret that access to affordable housing in America is increasingly out of reach. Activists in the growing YIMBY (“Yes In My Back Yard”) movement believe they have a solution: build more of everything.

On this episode, associate editor Griffin Oleynick speaks with Max Holleran, a sociologist at the University of Melbourne in Australia and author of Yes to the City: Millennials and the Fight for Affordable Housing, a detailed study of the YIMBYs.

The YIMBYs’ push for new construction, Holleran argues, won’t entirely solve the problem of housing affordability. To do that, we must not only re-invest in alternatives like community land trusts, but also continue fighting for higher wages and greater income equality.

For further reading:

“Making the Rent,” The Editors
“The Bay Area’s Infinite Loop,” Kaya Oakes
“Poverty and Profit in the American City,” Frank Pasquale

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