In this episode of Angelicum Conversations, Fr. Thomas Joseph White speaks with Fr. Michael Sherwin about the moral and spiritual crisis of modern culture—what they describe as a “Nietzschean wasteland.”

Drawing on the thought of Friedrich Nietzsche, Elizabeth Anscombe, Alasdair MacIntyre, and St. Thomas Aquinas, the conversation explores a central question of our time: If belief in God fades, can morality survive?

Fr. Sherwin examines how contemporary culture often assumes a form of “self-created identity,” where individuals construct their own values and meaning. But does this lead to freedom—or to nihilism?

The discussion explores:

-Nietzsche’s diagnosis of modern moral collapse

-The rise of self-creation and the “disembodied will”

-Why modern ethics often lacks a foundation

-The recovery of virtue through community and tradition

-How Christian moral theology offers a path beyond nihilism

Ultimately, the conversation argues that the answer to the “wasteland” is not withdrawal or domination, but a renewed quest for truth, virtue, and human flourishing.

👉 Full transcript & show notes: https://media.angelicum.it/online-series/angelicum-conversations/episode-6-christian-virtue-in-a-nietzschean-wasteland

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

1:29 What is the "Wasteland"?

5:35 A Nietzschean Diagnosis: Post-Christian Nihilism?

9:36 Self-Creation and Will to Power

14:13 Elizabeth Anscombe's Critique

23:26 Truisms are True & Rediscovering the Quest

27:35 The Necessity of Grace

31:24 Political Implications: Benedict Option, Integralism, Creative Minorities?

40:25 Reading Recommendations & Conclusion

Is the moral life more like jazz improvisation or following orders?

In this episode of Angelicum Conversations, Fr. Thomas Joseph White, O.P., speaks with Fr. Wojciech Giertych, O.P.—Theologian of the Papal Household and Professor of Moral Theology at the Angelicum—about the renewal of Catholic moral theology in the Thomistic tradition.

Moving beyond a rule-centered or prohibition-focused approach to ethics, the conversation explores the vision articulated by Servais Pinckaers and rooted in St. Thomas Aquinas: Christian morality is ordered to happiness, freedom, and human fulfillment. The moral life is not primarily about avoiding sins, but about learning to love the true good, growing in interior liberty, and being transformed by grace.

The discussion ranges across:

-Why Christian morality is about happiness, not mere obligation

-How freedom grows through virtue and love of the good

-The difference between rule-following and moral creativity

-The role of grace in healing and elevating natural virtue

-Why the goal of the Christian moral life is to become “icons of the Icon”—conformed to Christ

The episode closes with a meditation on how beauty, art, and virtue shape the moral imagination.

👉 Full transcript & show notes: https://media.angelicum.it/online-series/angelicum-conversations/episode-5-icons-of-the-icon-the-thomistic-renewal-of-christian-ethics

📖 Angelicum Conversations is a new interview series from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum) in Rome. Each episode features thoughtful dialogue on theology, philosophy, and culture—conversations that reflect the Angelicum’s mission of serving the Church through study, contemplation, and teaching.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

1:30 Servais Pinckaers & Renewal of Moral Theology

3:51 William of Ockham v. Thomas Aquinas

7:37 Human Freedom & Growth in Liberty

9:54 Jazz Improvisation & Moral Creativity15:06 What About Grace?

19:17 Infused Moral Virtue

24:16 What About Law?

28:26 Sanctity as the Meeting of Weakness with Grace

30:11 Morality, Creativity, Beauty, & the Arts

34:26 Conclusion: Icons of the Icon

What is philosophy for? Should it simply describe the world as we find it, clarifying our concepts and leaving everything as it is? Or should it unsettle our assumptions, revise our thinking, and aim to change the world?

In this episode of Angelicum Conversations, Fr. Adrian McCaffery, O.P., speaks with Professor John Haldane about what he calls philosophy’s via media—a path between quietism and activism.

Drawing on figures from classical to modern to contemporary philosophy, Haldane explores competing conceptions of philosophy and their implications for metaphysics, ethics, and political thought.

The conversation examines two forms of quietism, which resist revising our ordinary ways of thinking, and two forms of activism, which seek to overturn established concepts and commitments.

Against both extremes, Haldane argues that philosophy must remain open to the possibility that our common beliefs are confused or mistaken, while also recognizing that those beliefs place real constraints on philosophical theorizing.

👉 Full transcript & show notes: https://media.angelicum.it/online-series/angelicum-conversations/episode-4-philosophy-between-activism-quietism/

📖 Angelicum Conversations is a new interview series from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum) in Rome. Each episode features thoughtful dialogue on theology, philosophy, and culture—conversations that reflect the Angelicum’s mission of serving the Church through study, contemplation, and teaching.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

1:00 Two Paths for Philosophy

6:54 Two Kinds of Quietism

12:04 Four Oxford Women

19:48 Two Kinds of Activism

33:32 A Middle Path?

38:27 Public Philosophy

40:54 Progress in Philosophy?

49:06 Thomism & Philosophy

57:18 Conclusion

In this episode of Angelicum Conversations, Fr. Philip-Neri Reese speaks with Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P., about the place of natural rights within Catholic social teaching.

Drawing on Fr. Gregory’s Dies Academicus lecture at the Angelicum, the conversation explores why “rights talk” has fallen on hard times, how natural rights emerged in the Catholic tradition, and whether they are worth recovering today.

The discussion ranges from canon law and Thomistic theology to contemporary political polarization, generational shifts in moral discourse, and the Church’s evangelical mission. Fr. Pine argues that, properly understood, natural rights can serve as a bridge between natural law, public reason, and the Church’s vocation to defend human dignity in a fractured cultural landscape.

👉 Full transcript & show notes: https://media.angelicum.it/online-series/angelicum-conversations/episode-3-are-natural-rights-worth-recovering-rights-talk-catholic-social-teaching/

📖 Watch Fr. Gregory Pine's original lecture here.

💬 Angelicum Conversations is a new interview series from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum) in Rome. Each episode features thoughtful dialogue on theology, philosophy, and culture—conversations that reflect the Angelicum’s mission of serving the Church through study, contemplation, and teaching.

🎥 Check out the Angelicum's new video series on Catholic Social Teaching.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

0:50 Defining Terms: Rights, Natural Rights, & Catholic Social Teaching

5:03 Basic Principles of CST & Natural Rights

8:13 What's the Problem with Rights?

12:04 Do We Need "Rights Talk"?

16:06 Should the Church Use "Rights Talk"?

21:22 Polarization, Power, & Truth Claims

25:43 Natural Rights & the Church's Witness

34:03 Optimism About the Possibility of Reasonable Discourse

36:49 Dangers of Disembodied Discourse & Need for Sacramental Encounter

42:53 Conclusion

As the Church marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea (325–2025), Fr. Thomas Joseph White, O.P., Rector of the Angelicum, speaks with Prof. Lewis Ayres, one of the world’s leading experts on early Christian theology, about the enduring significance of Nicaea.

They discuss what the Council achieved, how its vision of Christ and the Trinity continues to shape Christian faith today, its role in Catholic-Orthodox dialogue, and the significance of Pope Leo XIV’s upcoming visit to Turkey to commemorate this milestone in Church history.

👉 Full transcript & show notes: https://media.angelicum.it/online-series/angelicum-conversations/episode-2-nicaea-at-1700-the-creed-that-changed-the-world/

📖 Angelicum Conversations is a new interview series from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum) in Rome. Each episode features thoughtful dialogue on theology, philosophy, and culture—conversations that reflect the Angelicum’s mission of serving the Church through study, contemplation, and teaching.

💬 Share your thoughts in the comments below—we’d love to hear your perspective.

👉 Explore more episodes in the Angelicum Conversations series:    • Angelicum Conversations  

🎥 Check out the Angelicum's new video series on Catholic Social Teaching:    • Catholic Social Thought (CST): The Fratern...  

🎓 Learn more about the Angelicum: https://angelicum.it/

0:00 Introduction

1:20 Background to the Council of Nicaea

6:00 What Is Arianism?

10:03 What’s Wrong with Arianism?

11:42 What Does Nicaea Say? The Two Statements of the Creed

13:55 The Meaning of “Homoousios” in the Creed

15:46 Reception of Nicaea & Theology of the Trinity

19:41 Why Do Expressions of the Faith Change Over Time?

21:45 Development of Doctrine

24:07 Why Does Nicene Theology Matter Today?

27:17 The Nicene Creed & Scripture

30:03 The Nicene Creed & Ecumenism (Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant)

33:22 Visit of Pope Leo XIV to Turkey & Catholic-Orthodox Relations

35:00 Advice for Young Theologians & Theological Literacy

38:00 Conclusion

In this inaugural episode of Angelicum Conversations, Prof. Andrew Meszaros joins Fr. Thomas Joseph White, O.P., to discuss the enduring importance of St. John Henry Newman.

This summer, Pope Leo XIV announced that he would declare Newman a Doctor of the Church—a recognition that highlights Newman’s influence on theology, education, and the life of the Church in the modern era.

Prof. Meszaros, the first holder of the newly established St. John Henry Newman Chair in Theology at the Angelicum, reflects on Newman’s legacy and explores how his thought continues to illuminate contemporary questions of faith and reason.

👉 Full transcript & show notes: https://media.angelicum.it/online-series/angelicum-conversations/episode-1-why-st-john-henry-newman-matters-today/

📖 Angelicum Conversations is a new interview series from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum) in Rome. Each episode features thoughtful dialogue on theology, philosophy, and culture —conversations that reflect the Angelicum’s mission of serving the Church through study, contemplation, and teaching.

💬 Share your thoughts in the comments below—we’d love to hear your perspective.

🎥 Check out the Angelicum's new video series on Catholic Social Teaching.

🎓 Learn more about the Angelicum: https://angelicum.it/

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

1:16 Newman's Life

4:48 Why Is Newman Important Today? Liberalism, Modernity, Post-Modernity

7:21 Newman’s Anglican Period & Discovery of the Church Fathers

9:21 Newman’s Conversion & Personal Holiness

13:01 Theological Contributions & Development of Doctrine

18:08 Conscience, Truth, & Authority

23:45 Newman & Vatican II

25:39 Role of Laity & Synodality

29:58 Newman & University Education

36:13 Newman Chair at the Angelicum

40:03 Declaring Newman a Doctor of the Church

42:37 Conclusion