Crown and Crozier

With the 2024 U.S. presidential election campaign heating up, we’re delighted to bring you an episode featuring the wisdom and experience of someone who’s endured the grueling ups and downs that come with life on the campaign trail.

Our guest is Rick Santorum, who twice contested the race for the highest executive office in the United States - first in 2012 and then in 2016.

Prior to his presidential runs, he served in the U.S. Congress for 16 years - the first four in the House of Representatives, followed by two six-year terms in the Senate, representing the State of Pennsylvania.

A devout Catholic, devoted husband, and father of 7 kids, Rick was a stalwart pro-life champion during his time in office, with his signature accomplishments including helping to shepherd a ban on partial birth abortion into law.

In our conversation with Rick, we talk about the 2024 election cycle, what he makes of the current crop of presidential candidates, his own experience on the hustings, the surprising absence of authentic solidarity among Catholics on Capitol Hill, ensuring our faith guides our politics rather than the other way around, and the need for happy, hopeful warriors in the public square.

Resources

Rick Santorum (biography)

@RickSantorum

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www.crownandcrozier.com
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Please note that this podcast has been edited for length and clarity.

If you’re a regular consumer of Catholic and Christian media, there’s a good chance that you’ve come across the term “integralism."

“Integralism” refers to the school of thought which says that the Church can direct the State to adopt policies which advance the ends of the Church and help enforce Church law.

Sounds wild, doesn’t it?

And yet, if you look more closely, there’s actually a lengthy record of Church teaching tilting in the direction of what integralists assert.

Integralism engages fundamental questions about what it means to be subject to Christ’s kingship and to the legitimate authority of the State.  So it’s little wonder that the topic is capable of igniting spirited views on either side.

This episode is the first installment in a two-part series planned by Crown and Crozier, in which our objective is to give integralism a fair hearing.

Our guest is Dr. Kevin Vallier, who recently authored a detailed critique of integralism entitled All the Kingdoms of the World: On Radical Religious Alternatives to Liberalism.

Dr. Vallier has written several books on political philosophy and currently serves as Associate Professor at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, where he also directs the university’s program in Philosophy, Politics, Economics and Law.


Resources

Kevin Vallier (official website)

Kevin Vallier, All the Kingdoms of the World: On Radical Religious Alternatives to Liberalism

Thomas Pink, In Defence of Catholic Integralism, Public Discourse (August 12, 2018)

Kevin Vallier, What is integralism? (The Liberal Tortoise - Substack blog)

The Josias (integralist blog)

Pope Paul VI, Declaration on Religious Freedom: Dignitatis Humanae (December 7, 1965)

[email protected]
www.crownandcrozier.com
twitter.com/crownandcrozier

Please note that this podcast has been edited for length and clarity.

Antonin Scalia was a larger than life presence in the conservative legal movement and in the judicial branch of the U.S. government during the latter part of the 20th century and the early years of the 21st.

In this episode, we get to know the late Supreme Court justice at a personal level - as the boy who became the student, who became the lawyer, who became the judge, who ultimately exerted more influence on the highest court during his 30-year tenure than perhaps any of his peers in the post-World War II era.

Perhaps most importantly, we get to know him as the deeply devoted follower of Jesus Christ who took seriously the obligation to discern and pursue his vocation.

Our guest is James Rosen, author of the recently published biography Scalia: Rise to Greatness, 1936-1986. The book is the first installment in a planned two-volume biography of Scalia, which is already earning accolades as the authoritative chronicle of the late justice’s life and legacy.

An author, historian and journalist, James Rosen currently serves as the Chief White House Correspondent for Newsmax.


Resources

James Rosen (biography)

@JamesRosenTV

James Rosen, Scalia: Rise to Greatness, 1936-1986

[email protected]
www.crownandcrozier.com
twitter.com/crownandcrozier

Please note that this podcast has been edited for length and clarity.

In this episode, we turn attention to one of the greatest statesmen in Canadian history.

Thomas D’Arcy McGee was a father of Canadian confederation, a champion of minority rights, and the principal architect of the unique constitutional protections afforded to Catholic schools in Canadian provinces - protections which are arguably unprecedented and unrivaled among Western democratic nations.

Although overlooked in the history books of the Great White North, McGee exerted enormous influence on the founding of Canada and has many things to teach us in a present-day context defined by polarized political debates. Sadly, one of those lessons stems from the untimely death he encountered courtesy of an assassin’s bullet.

Our guest is Dr. David Wilson of the History Department and Celtic Studies Program at the University of Toronto. Wilson is the author of the two-volume authoritative biography of D’Arcy McGee, which won the Canadian Historical Association prize for political history. His fields of expertise include the Irish in North America, revolutionary movements, as well as religion and nationalism.


Resources

Dr. David Wilson (biography)

David Wilson, Thomas D'Arcy McGee, Volume 1: Passion, Reason, and Politics, 1825-1857

David Wilson, Thomas D'Arcy McGee, Volume 2: The Extreme Moderate, 1857-1868

[email protected]
www.crownandcrozier.com
twitter.com/crownandcrozier

Please note that this podcast has been edited for length and clarity.

We often think of patriotism as loving our country. But what if our country is going completely off the rails? What if our culture and society is so broken and divided that we can’t even agree on why we should love our country and how best to express that love?

In this episode, we take a look at patriotism through a different lens - one that might be more satisfying, settling and capable of navigating the ethical and moral questions that arise when our country is headed in the wrong direction.

This perspective involves looking at patriotism as a form of piety - meaning it’s not necessarily about feeling the love, but more about acknowledging and honoring a debt that can’t possibly be repaid.

Our guest is Dr. Sarah Houser, professorial lecturer in the Department of Government at American University in Washington, DC. Dr. Houser’s areas of expertise include patriotism and the nation-state, and she’s the author of the forthcoming book Recovering Patriotism: Friendship and the Politics of Place.


Resources

Dr. Sarah Houser (biography)

A Tour of the Summa: Piety

“What St. Thomas Aquinas teaches us about patriotism”, The Catholic Herald (July 2019)

“White House accused of US Flag Code violation over Pride Month display”, Fox News (June 2023)

“POLL: Majority of Americans disagree with Colin Kaepernick's protest”, CBS Sports (September 2016)

[email protected]
www.crownandcrozier.com
twitter.com/crownandcrozier

Please note that this podcast has been edited for length and clarity.

Does protecting kids mean we have to turn priests into government informants?

It might sound like a far-fetched question. But during their recent legislative sessions, a few U.S. state legislatures found themselves wrestling with this exact question.

Under the guise of seeking to strengthen measures to safeguard children, several legislative proposals would have required priests to violate the seal of confession if information regarding incidents of abuse came to their attention in the confessional.

Joining us to discuss the profound implications of these bills is someone who had a front-row seat during the debates in the state legislatures which were recently examining this issue.

Eric Kniffin is a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and has been an attorney focused on religious liberty for almost 20 years. He worked in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice during the George W. Bush Administration. In private practice, Eric has defended hundreds of religious employers from federal mandates regarding contraception, abortifacients and gender transition.


Resources & References

@ekniffin (Twitter)

Eric Kniffin (biography)

Eric Kniffin, “Attacks on the Seal of the Confessional”, First Things (March 30, 2023)

Ethics and Public Policy Center, “EPPC Scholar Urges Washington State Not to Pressure Clergy to Violate Seal of the Confessional” (March 21, 2023)

Jason Dearen and Michael Rezendes, “Churches defend clergy loophole in child sex abuse reporting”, Associated Press (September 28, 2022)

[email protected]
www.crownandcrozier.com
twitter.com/crownandcrozier

Please note that this podcast has been edited for length and clarity.

The Church defines virtue as the “habitual and firm disposition to do good.”

But as our guest for this episode points out, virtue as a concept and as a practice is increasingly under attack these days.

In his recent book, War on Virtue: How the Ruling Class is Killing the American Dream, Bill Donohue argues that the widespread inculcation and exercise of virtues - especially the core virtues of self-discipline, personal responsibility and perseverance - are being subverted by political, corporate and cultural elites through actions aimed at promoting racial divisions, devaluing the family, giving up on the poor, sabotaging education and rewarding incivility.

What’s needed in response, according to the author, is a concentrated campaign to instill virtue in every person, young and old, so that society can be reformed and re-normed, and the aspirations for genuine human flourishing can be realized.

Since 1993, Bill Donohue has served as the President and CEO of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, the largest Catholic civil rights organization in the United States. He’s a prolific author and commentator on civil liberties and religion, as well as a former teacher whose career began at an inner city school in New York City.


@CatholicLeague (Twitter)

Bill Donohue (biography)

Bill Donohue, War on Virtue: How the Ruling Class is Killing the American Dream (2023)

[email protected]
www.crownandcrozier.com
twitter.com/crownandcrozier

Please note that this podcast has been edited for length and clarity.

Our guest for this episode is a member of one of Europe’s most famous Catholic families and dynasties.

For 800 years, the Habsburgs have done and seen it all - occupying the highest offices of the land, both civil and religious; ruling over kingdoms stretching across the continent and the ocean; and serving as last men standing in the defense of Christendom and Western civilization against outside aggressors.

In this conversation, Ambassador Eduard Habsburg highlights the rich legacy and stories of the Habsburgs, drawing upon his recently published book The Habsburg Way: Seven Rules for Turbulent Times.  Although their political empire may have faded into the history books, this fascinating family still has a lot to teach men and women of faith and goodwill in the 21st century.

We also discuss what it’s like having a front row seat as a diplomat in the corridors of the Vatican.  To cap things off, we talk about the Ambassador’s boss, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban - who’s described by his critics as a threat to democracy and European unity, and by his supporters as one of the Western world’s few remaining defenders of fundamental freedoms.

Eduard Habsburg has served as Hungary’s Ambassador to the Holy See and Sovereign Order of Malta since 2015.  Prior to joining the foreign service, he wrote screenplays for zombie movies and novels, and also produced cartoons.


Websites / resources referenced

@EduardHabsburg (Twitter)

Eduard Habsburg, The Habsburg Way: Seven Rules for Turbulent Times (2023)

Jason Horowitz, “Hungary’s Ambassador to the Pope, With an Offbeat Resumé”, The New York Times (August 27, 2023)

[email protected]
www.crownandcrozier.com
twitter.com/crownandcrozier

Please note that this podcast has been edited for length and clarity.

Pop quiz!

Out of all the violence and persecution in the world that is religiously-motivated, 75% of victims belong to which religion?

Sadly, if you guessed Christianity, you would be right.

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Thomas Williams, author of the recently published book The Coming Christian Persecution: Why Things are Getting Worse and How to Prepare for What is to Come. Williams highlights how the persecution of Christians is not just an artifact of history - it’s happening right now, in ways and at a scale that believers and non-believers alike fail to fully grasp.

We discuss how systematic persecution of the followers of Christ persists in countries like North Korea, Nigeria, Pakistan and China; how “soft” persecution against Christians - as well as instances of violence - are on the rise in the West; how those who profess Jesus as Lord are called to both prepare for suffering and resist oppression; and how combating persecution ultimately begins and ends with cultivating the proper disposition of heart and mind.

Dr. Williams currently serves as Rome Bureau Chief for Breitbart News and is the author of 17 books in the fields of theology, philosophy, ethics and spirituality. He teaches theology at the Rome campus of St. John’s University and has served as a media commentator on faith, ethics and religion for such networks as NBC, CBS and Sky News. He was appointed by the Holy See as spokesman for two Synods of Bishops (1997 and 2001).


Websites / resources referenced

Dr. Thomas Williams official website

@tdwilliamsrome (Twitter)

Dr. Thomas Williams, The Coming Christian Persecution: Why Things are Getting Worse and How to Prepare for What is to Come (2023)

[email protected]
www.crownandcrozier.com
twitter.com/crownandcrozier

Please note that this podcast has been edited for length and clarity.

God Save the King and Rule Britannia!

To mark the occasion of the crowning of Britain's new king and Canada's new head of state, this episode features a special guest from the other side of the Atlantic.

Ann Widdecombe served as a Conservative Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons from 1987-2010.  During that time, she held several Cabinet portfolios, and early on in her tenure, converted to the Catholic faith.  She also held a seat in the European Parliament as a representative of the Brexit Party from 2019-2020.

A well-known political commentator and public personality, Widdecombe makes the case for why Britain's withdrawal from the European Union was necessary (and why it was fully in line with Catholic social teaching on subsidiarity).

She also reflects on her conversion, the future of the Anglican Church, the present state of conservatism in the United Kingdom, and the first coronation of a British monarch in 70 years.


Websites / resources referenced

Ann Widdecombe official website

Ann Widdecombe, “Conservatives are not conservative - it's why I can't back the Tories,” The Daily Express (March 21, 2023)

Ann Widdecombe: Brexit, Trade, and the European Union

“The King’s coronation oath: an explainer for Catholics,” Catholic Herald (May 2, 2023)

[email protected]
www.crownandcrozier.com
twitter.com/crownandcrozier

Please note that this podcast has been edited for length and clarity.