On “Jesuitical” this week, Zac and Ashley chat with Colleen Dulle, an associate editor at America and co-host of the “Inside the Vatican” podcast, about how realistically the new film “Conclave” portrays the process of selecting a new pope. They praise the film’s historical accuracy but raise eyebrows over the complex theological implications around the film’s twist ending. Warning: This episode contains major spoilers. 

Zac, Ashley and Colleen discuss: 

- The challenges of translating the complexities of the Catholic Church to a mainstream audience through a cinematic lens

- Varying reactions to “Conclave” from Catholics, including Bishop Robert Barron’s critique of the film

- The role and representation of women, including nuns, in the Catholic Church as depicted in the film

In Signs of the Times, Zac, Ashley and Colleen discuss Pope Francis’ new autobiography Hope, which reveals two assassination attempts on his life during his trip to Iraq in 2021; and a recent liturgical debate sparked by Cardinal Blase Cupich’s guidance to parishioners in the Archdiocese of Chicago that discouraged kneeling to receive Communion.

Links for further reading: 

‘Conclave’ explainer: Could that twist ending really happen?

Your Take: Is ‘Conclave’ worth seeing for Catholics?

‘Conclave’ hits theaters. What really happens when a new pope is elected?

Pope Francis reveals he survived two assassination attempts during visit to Iraq

Hope: The Autobiography by Pope Francis 

Should you stand or kneel to receive communion? Cardinal Cupich stirs debate after weighing in

What’s on tap?

French 75s

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On this week’s episode of “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley interview bestselling Irish author John Connell on how embracing the farm life preserved by his family for generations brought him closer to God and greater inner peace. John’s new book, The Lambing Season, explores the rhythms and realities of raising livestock, as well as the profound spiritual guidance John gleaned from a simple flock of sheep. 

Zac, Ashley and John discuss: 

- How John’s spiritual awakening on a Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Spain led to his transformation from journalist and world traveler to shepherd on his family’s farm 

- John’s discovery of the spiritual and therapeutic power of lambing season in Ireland

- The contrast and balance between rural and urban life, and the need for citydwellers to “make appointments with nature”

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley discuss the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris after a fire in 2019, Pope Francis’ latest consistory that created 21 new cardinals on Saturday, Dec. 7, and how the Loyola Chicago Ramblers recovered after (seemingly) snubbing their very own Sister Jean from a celebratory fist bump after their win against Eastern Michigan. 

Links for further reading: 

The Lambing Season: Stories of Life on an Irish Family Farm

The Cow Book: A Story of Life on an Irish Family Farm

Pomp and presidents at the reopening of Notre Dame in Paris

Podcast: Pope Francis creates 21 cardinals, calls for an end to U.S. death penalty

Read: Pope Francis’ homily and message to new cardinals

A busy weekend for Pope Francis: The Immaculate Conception, a consistory and prayers for death row inmates in the United States

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On this week’s episode of “Jesuitical,” Ashley and Zac are joined by Madeleine Kearns, an associate editor at The Free Press, and the author of a recently reported article, “The Young Catholic Women Bringing Back Veils.” Maddy shares how the veil boom evokes a “lost type of Catholicism” that satisfies the desire for reverence challenged by the reforms of Vatican II. 

They discuss: 

- The motivations of young women who veil—from personal expressions of piety and nostalgia to political posturing

- Whether individual practices of worship impact communal worship in the church 

- How young people engage with the “sacred space” of Mass today

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley discuss a Brooklyn priest wrapped up in scandals involving a federal corruption investigation, New York City’s Mayor Eric Adams and pop star Sabrina Carpenter. Plus: Environmentalists in Italy try (and fail) to stop Pope Francis from cutting down a Christmas tree to decorate St. Peter’s Square.

Links for further reading: 

The Young Catholic Women Bringing Back Veils

NYC priest who allowed Sabrina Carpenter to shoot a music video in church further stripped of duties

The Priest, the Power Broker and the Pop Star

Local group protests cutting down 200-year-old tree for Vatican’s Christmas

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In this special Jesuitical episode to kickstart the Advent season, Ashley speaks with her colleague, Maggi Van Dorn, the host and creator of America's podcast, "Hark! The Stories Behind Our Favorite Christmas Carols." Maggi previews an all new season of "Hark!" launching today, November 29, and reveals what she uncovered about the Magi and the star of Bethlehem while working on the classic carol, "We Three Kings."

Hark! is available everywhere. Listen on Apple or Spotify or your podcast app.

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This week’s episode of “Jesuitical” features a conversation with Brian Strassburger, S.J., a Jesuit priest who serves as the director of Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministries in the Diocese of Brownsville, Tex., and a co-host of the Jesuit Border Podcast. In his ministry, Brian not only celebrates Mass in migrant shelters and camps at the U.S.-Mexico border, but he and his team also provide basic orientation and advocacy for migrants navigating the complex U.S. immigration system.

Zac, Ashley and Brian discuss: 

- What the election of Donald J. Trump might mean for migrants and his border ministry

- How Brian talks to Catholics who are concerned about chaos at the border and want to see greater immigration restrictions

- Brian’s vision of heaven: one where the poor and migrants are welcomed and honored, rather than dismissed and betrayed

Links for further reading: 

The Betrayal of American Border Policy 

The Jesuit Border Podcast 

Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministries 

Donald Trump’s election has brought new fear to immigrant communities

As U.S. Catholic bishops meet, Trump looms over their work on abortion and immigration

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On this week’s episode of “Jesuitical,” Ashley and Zac are joined by Sister Laura Vicuña Pereira Manso, an Indigenous activist fighting to protect the Amazon rainforest and serve its people. As the current vice president of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon region (known as CEAMA) and a 2019 auditor of the Synod for the Pan-Amazon Region, Sister Laura has met with Pope Francis to make the case for women’s ministries, including restoring women deacons.

They discuss: 

- Sister Laura’s experience at Amazon Synod, and whether synodality “works”

- What a typical day looks like when you are ministering to Indigenous communities in the Amazon and struggling against powerful (and violent) corporations.

- What she would say to those who criticize women deacons as a “Western obsession”

Links for further reading: 

A Franciscan sister joins the fight for Indigenous rights in Brazil

A nun makes the case for women deacons to Pope Francis

What you need to know about the 2019 Synod on the Amazon

Brazilian Cardinal talks restoring women deacons, ordaining married men at synod press briefing

Synod Diary: Women deacons are not a ‘Western’ obsession

We’d like to give a special thanks to our translators, America O’Hare fellow Leilani Fuentes and Ellie Hidalgo of Discerning Deacons, who helped with the translations for this episode. 

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On this week’s episode of “Jesuitical,” Ashley and Zac are joined by America magazine’s editor in chief, Sam Sawyer, S.J., to discuss the results of the 2024 presidential election, in which Donald Trump defeated the sitting vice president, Kamala Harris.

They discuss: 

• The Catholic vote in the election and how it differed from previous elections
• How Catholic leaders might respond to a second Trump presidency 
• The role of faith and trust in God in the face of political turmoil

Please consider supporting Jesuitical by becoming a digital subscriber to America Media at americamagazine.org/subscribe

Links for further reading: 

The day after Trump’s victory: searching for mercy, justice and God’s providence

Five political takeaways from the 2024 election

Voters in 3 states reject abortion ballot measures, defying trend around country

Trump courted white Catholics—and they helped him win the White House again

Donald Trump won: 5 Catholic takeaways

Donald Trump defeats Kamala Harris to become the 47th president of the United States

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At the end of the second session of the Synod on Synodality, Jesuitical’s co-host Zac Davis and producer Sebastian Gomes spoke with Cardinal Joseph Tobin, the archbishop of Newark, about the synod’s final document, which kept open the question of women’s access to the diaconate. The cardinal also spoke to the urgent need for initiating processes of communal decision-taking in parishes and for greater accountability to synodality among U.S. bishops.

Thank you for following Jesuitical’s coverage of the Synod on Synodality. It was sponsored in part by the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University.

Please consider supporting Jesuitical by becoming a digital subscriber to America Magazine and stay up to date on Catholic news and analysis.

Links:

Synodality—and ‘controversial’ issues—are here to stay: Takeaways from the Synod’s final document

Pope Francis says he will not write his own exhortation on synod, publishes members’ final document

Women Deacons and the Catholic Church: A Video Explainer

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On the eve of the highly anticipated publication of the final report for the Synod on Synodality, Jesuitical host Zac Davis and Inside the Vatican host Colleen Dulle speak with their colleague and synod delegate James Martin, S.J., about his experience this month inside the second assembly.

Zac and Colleen discuss:

- The atmosphere at this year’s synod assembly compared to last year’s

- How controversial topics like L.G.B.T. issues and women’s ordination have been tackled

- The deep conversion that took place among the members and the long-term impact of this gathering on the global church

Jesuitical’s synod coverage is sponsored in part by the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University.

Links from the show:

The Jesuit roots of the synod’s ‘conversations in the spirit’

‘Palpable outrage’: Synod delegates react to women deacons study group meeting

Synod Diary: The Vatican Curia is still learning synodality

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It is no secret that the reception of the synod in the United States has been uneven. Whether you participated in a synod listening session, or even heard about the Synod on Synodality when it was launched by Pope Francis three years ago, likely depends on whether your pastor or bishop made it a priority. To get a sense of the ways the synod is (and isn’t) taking root in the U.S. church, we spoke with Michael Sean Winters, a columnist covering the Catholic Church for National Catholic Reporter and a fellow at the Center for Catholic Studies at Sacred Heart University. 

Zac, Ashley and Sebastian ask Michael Sean:

- Whether the Vatican gave bishops the time and resources needed to make the synod a success

- About the common claim that the U.S. church, where lay men and women already hold positions of authority in dioceses and chanceries, is already “synodal”

- If the synod process can help to reduce the polarization among U.S. Catholics

Links from the show:

Michael’s column at NCR

Become a subscriber to America to follow our daily synod diaries and much more!

Jesuitical’s synod coverage is sponsored in part by the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University.

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We are in the final stretch of the Synod on Synodality, and the question that looms large in and outside the synod hall is: Will this process give us concrete results? But some Catholics aren’t waiting for the synod’s final document or Pope Francis’ post-synod apostolic exhortation to start bringing synodality down to earth in practical ways. Avril Baigent, a facilitator at this year’s synod assembly, is a co-founder of the School for Synodality, a project that supports the synodal conversion of the Church in England and Wales. 

Zac and Ashley ask Avril:

- What does synodal discernment look like in families, parishes and dioceses?

- Does every decision in the church need to be made “synodaly”?

- Is the “conversations in the spirit” method capable of producing concrete proposals?

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Sebastian discuss the lack of transparency around the synod’s Study Group 5, tasked with looking at the possibility of the female diaconate, which has led to “palpable outrage” among delegates and damage control on the part of the Vatican. Plus, the Vatican announced on Monday that Pope Francis will release the fourth encyclical of his pontificate, “Dilexit Nos” (“He Loved Us”), on the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

Links from the show:

‘Palpable outrage’: Synod delegates react to women deacons study group meeting

‘Dilexit nos’: Pope to publish encyclical on Sacred Heart of Jesus

Learn more about the School for Synodality

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