Crown and Crozier

On June 15, 1215, in the meadows of Runnymede just west of London, English nobles and clergy gathered to witness – and to compel – King John to place his seal on a document that enshrined the rights of the Church and of free men, and declared the sovereign to be subject to the rule of law. The name of this document was Magna Carta, the Great Charter of liberty.

In his passionate and entertaining style, Dr. John Robson tells the story of this seminal moment in the history of democracy, the protection of human freedom, and the independence of the Church.

Dr. Robson is a historian, journalist, and documentary filmmaker. Chief among his documentary titles is “Magna Carta: Our Shared Legacy of Liberty”, which is accompanied by a companion book of the same name.

0:00 - Introduction
3:00 - Magna Carta - a launchpad for 800 years of liberty
7:40 - Genesis of the Magna Carta
10:40 - Missionaries, stories of a dead Jewish carpenter and the conversion of Britain
12:45 - Resisting One-Man Rule
16:00 - The drama: Bad King John, Pope Innocent III and Archbishop Stephen Langton
19:35 - The shadow of St. Thomas Becket's assassination
22:20 - How can a prince be under the law?
25:20 - The commoners have their say
28:15 - The miracle of Magna Carta
30:15 - Freedom for the Church
32:20 - Freedom for all
38:40 - Magna Carta and the New World
45:20 - Carrying forward the legacy of Magna Carta
49:15 - Conclusion

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider supporting Crown and Crozier with a tax-deductible donation here:  DONATE  

Documents/Websites referenced 

Magna Carta (English translation)

Dr. John Robson

“Magna Carta: Our Shared Legacy of Liberty” (Dr. John Robson documentary)

Archbishop Stephen Langton

The (remarkably unusual) tomb of Archbishop Stephen Langton

Magna Carta Day Act (Ontario)

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

Father Deacon Andrew Bennett served as Canada's first (and so far, only) Ambassador for Religious Freedom from 2013-2016.  He joins us to discuss his time as a diplomat championing religious liberty, the duty for governments to defend this essential human right, and how the future of religious freedom will ultimately depend on the faithful having the courage and the capacity to truly understand and publicly live out the truths of the Gospel.

Fr. Dcn. Bennett currently serves as Senior Fellow at the Religious Freedom Institute in Washington, DC, and Director of the Religious Freedom Institute and Faith Community Engagement at Cardus in Ottawa, Canada.



If you enjoyed this episode, please consider supporting Crown and Crozier with a tax-deductible donation by clicking here:  DONATE

Documents/Websites Referenced:

Father Deacon Andrew Bennett
Cardus
Religious Freedom Institute
Shahbaz Bhatti
Office of International Religious Freedom (USA)
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (UCIRF)
Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief (United Nations)
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Berkley Centre for Religion, Peace and World Affairs (Georgetown University)
A Closer Look at How Religious Restrictions Have Risen Around the World (Pew Research)
Dignitatis Humanae - Declaration on Religious Freedom (Vatican II)
Dr. Brian Bird, "The ban on in-person worship continues in BC." Vancouver Sun, 1 January 2021

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

Serving as chaplain to Her Majesty the Queen isn’t what you might expect. The story of Dr. Gavin Ashenden, one of Queen Elizabeth’s former honorary chaplains, is likewise something that many people weren’t expecting – perhaps most of all Dr. Ashenden himself, who ended-up converting to Catholicism after 35 years as an Anglican priest. 

The fascinating story of his road to Rome is the focus of Part 2 in our series with Dr. Ashenden. Find out how the Swiss psychologist Carl Jung, Cultural Marxism, and a local Catholic bishop all played a part in Dr. Ashenden's journey to conversion. The Devil and the Holy Spirit also make an appearance. (Guess who wins?!)

0:00 - Introduction

2:09 - The winding path to Rome

04:15 - Employment at a secular university

05:48 - Carl Jung as the foil to Sigmund Freud on campus

10:08 - Interrogation by the KGB; the taste of Marxism and totalitarianism

12:38 - A troubling glimpse into the future of England’s demographics 

16:17 - Threats of assassination; no blood on the Queen’s carpet, please

18:42 - A call from the Royal Household: “Dr. Ashenden, please make your way to the exit”

21:39 - Media storm

24:18 - Reflecting on the influence of Cultural Marxism on the Church of England

27:12 - Revolution vs. revelation in Great Britain’s State religion

32:02 - Lessons for Catholics from the experience of the Church of England

37:45 - A final word: prospects for Holy Orders?

40:34 - Conclusion

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider supporting Crown and Crozier with a tax-deductible donation by clicking here:  DONATE

Documents/Websites Referenced

Gavin Ashenden

@gavinashenden

Gavin Ashenden, “On Leaving the Church of England” (YouTube)

K.V. Turley, “From Canterbury to Rome: Why the Queen’s Former Chaplain Became Catholic”, National Catholic Register (March 8, 2020)

Gavin Ashenden, “Jordan Peterson and Jesus Christ - the Ongoing Discovery” (YouTube)

Carl Jung

Francis Fukuyama, The End of History and the Last Man (2006)

Lord Chamberlain (senior officer of the Royal Household)

Tod Worner, “When Father Joseph Ratzinger Predicted the Future of the Church”, Aleteia (June 13, 2016)

Rod Dreher, Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents (2020)

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

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

Serving as chaplain to Her Majesty the Queen isn’t what you might expect. The story of Dr. Gavin Ashenden, one of Queen Elizabeth’s former honorary chaplains, is likewise something that many people weren’t expecting – perhaps most of all Dr. Ashenden himself, who ended-up converting to Catholicism after 35 years as an Anglican priest. 

This episode is the first segment in our two-part series with Dr. Ashenden. In Part 1, we discuss the fusion of religious and temporal authority within the Church of England, what it means to minister to the Queen, and how a Christian monarchy whose subjects (and members) seem increasingly uninterested in Christianity cannot long endure. 

0:00 - Introduction

3:15 - Honorary Chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II - it’s not at all what you think

11:55 - Getting to know the Royal Household (and cocktail waitresses)

15:35 - Two roles and one personality: Head of State, Supreme Governor of the Church of England, and Elizabeth Windsor

21:45 - Who cares for the soul of the Queen?

24:25 - The next generations of the Royal Household

30:10 - Anglican Church 101: A Church tamed by the State

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider supporting Crown and Crozier with a tax-deductible donation here:  DONATE  

Documents/Websites referenced 

Dr. Gavin Ashenden

@gavinashenden

Queen Elizabeth II

Church of England

Honorary Chaplain to the Queen

Royal Ecclesiastical Household

Battle of Agincourt

Henry VIII

Wars of the Roses

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

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

Archbishop Terrence Prendergast joins us to discuss his time as Archbishop of Ottawa, the interaction between the bishops and the government during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the cultural challenges he sees before us.  Archbishop Prendergast is the Archbishop Emeritus of Ottawa-Cornwall and is currently the Apostolic Administrator for the Diocese of Hearst-Moosonee in Northern Ontario.

0:00 - Introduction

1:43 - The diocese of Hearst-Moosonee 

3:44 - Serving as an Apostolic Administrator

4:59 - Merging of Dioceses - permission from Parliament, please?

6:52 - Serving as shepherd to the capital’s flock

12:20 - Interaction with Catholic elected officials (including a Prime Minister along the way)

17:22 - Collaboration with the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops

18:52 - Sharing the Gospel and engaging the world through the media 

20:52 - Successful engagement with government - Canada Summer Jobs Grant case study

23:11 - Pride of place for religious freedom in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

26:52 - The opportunities and challenges ahead with Catholic schools

32:55 - The uncertain future of State funding for Catholic Schools

34:50 - COVID restrictions on religious services and houses of worship - a report card for civil authorities 

45:52 - The Eucharist, a life set apart, and closing thoughts

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider supporting Crown and Crozier with a tax-deductible donation here: 

https://missionoftheredeemer.com/crownandcrozier/

Documents/Websites referenced

Archdiocese of Ottawa

Diocese of Hearst-Moosonee

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Deborah Gyapong - “Dioceses tell Catholics not to sign Canada Summer Jobs attestation”, The Catholic Register (January 22, 2018)

Archdiocese of Vancouver - “Archbishop asks health officials to reconsider B.C. public worship ban”, (February 24, 2021)

Archdiocese of Toronto - “A Call to Action from Cardinal Collins: End COVID-19 Restriction Inequities”, (March 6, 2021)

Please note: This podcast has been edited for length and clarity.

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www.crownandcrozier.com
twitter.com/crownandcrozier

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

Dr. Mary Catherine Sommers joins us to discuss government restrictions on worship during COVID, as seen through a Thomistic lens.  Dr. Sommers is Professor Emerita for Philosophy and past director of the Center for Thomistic Studies at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas.

0:00 - Introduction

2:56 - Aquinas’ understanding of the proper responsibilities of religious and civil authorities

6:56  - Aquinas’ theory of law

11:38 - Ensuring compatibility of human law with natural law

13:48  - Who may enact laws?

15:44 - COVID restrictions - do they actually fit within Aquinas’ formula?

20:33 - Aquinas’ view on restriction of freedoms

24:04 - What should faithful citizens do?  

28:38 - How do we know when to obey or disobey a law?

30:48 - The role of prudence - the "here and now" virtue 

35:18 - Complying with COVID restrictions - what are the Doctor's orders?

37:03 - Wrap up

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider supporting Crown and Crozier with a tax-deductible donation here: 

https://missionoftheredeemer.com/crownandcrozier/

Documents/Websites referenced 

Brian Tierney (medieval historian) - Wikipedia page

Martin Luther King Jr. - "Letter from Birmingham Jail" (1963)

Pierre Manent - "The Church has the Form of a City", Public Discourse (July 26, 2020)

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

John Locke - "Letter Concerning Toleration" (1689)

Thomas Aquinas - Summa Theologica, 1st part of the 2nd part: Q90

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

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

“The fulfillment of the Great Commission and the building of free and virtuous societies are integrally linked.”  These words are taken from George Weigel's Evangelical Catholicism, which argues that each member of the Church is called to live out Christ’s command to go and make disciples of all nations. 

Weigel is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center  and is the author of numerous books, including the authoritative biography of St. John Paul II, Witness to Hope.  

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider supporting Crown and Crozier with a tax-deductible donation here: 

https://missionoftheredeemer.com/crownandcrozier/

Documents/Websites referenced

George Weigel - Evangelical Catholicism: Deep Reform in the 21st-Century Church (2013)

George Weigel - Not Forgotten: Elegies for, and Reminiscences of, a Diverse Cast of Characters, Most of Them Admirable (2020)

H.R. 5 - Equality Act

George Weigel - “Woke ‘Rights,’ the Equality Act, and Speaker Pelosi”, The Catholic Difference (March 17, 2021)

George Weigel - “The Challenge of Eucharistic Coherence”, The Catholic Difference (February 3, 2021)

George Weigel - “President Biden and a Catholic Inflection Point”, The Catholic Difference (January 20, 2021)

George Weigel - “Inaugural Reflections on American Renewal”, First Things (January 18, 2021)

George Weigel - “Joe Biden, Pre-Conciliar Catholic?”, First Things (October 21, 2020)

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops - “Statement on the Inauguration of Joseph R. Biden, Jr., as 46th President of the United States of America” (January 20, 2021)

Gregory A. Smith, Pew Research Center - “Just one-third of U.S. Catholics agree with their church that Eucharist is body, blood of Christ” (August 5, 2019)

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

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

Welcome to Crown and Crozier!

It's time to dig into the relationship between the Church and the State – and what it means for us as citizens and disciples, and for the flourishing of society.

Come learn what our program is all about and join us as we kick-off our inaugural season by examining government restrictions on worship during COVID, a White House that's occupied by a self-professed Catholic, interactions between bishops and politicians in capital cities, and countless other issues at the intersection of Church and State.

Subscribe now wherever you get your podcasts and be the first listen on May 1!

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

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