Glad You Asked

The idea of life–especially intelligent life–on other planets has long captured the contemporary imagination. Despite the fact that there is no solid scientific evidence suggesting the existence of alien life forms, speculation about extraterrestrial activity inspires movies, television, novels, and popular music.

But is there a particular Catholic view on aliens? Does the church have an official teaching about extraterrestrial beings? And, if alien life is out there, what does this mean for Catholic theology about life on Earth, original sin, and salvation?

In this episode of Glad You Asked, hosts Emily Sanna and Rebecca Bratten-Weiss speak with Brother Guy Consolmagno, director of the Vatican Observatory and president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation, about the scientific and theological issues surrounding the question of intelligent life on other planets and the likelihood of ever making contact with alien beings. Brother Guy has written extensively on science and religion for both peer-reviewed publications and for popular audiences, including his 2014 book, Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial? ...and Other Questions from the Astronomers' In-box at the Vatican Observatory (Image).

You can find out more about the church's views on extraterrestrials and read more of Brother Guy's writing on the topic in these links:

"Get lost in space" By Brother Guy Consolmagno https://uscatholic.org/articles/201402/get-lost-in-space/

"Can you find God in a black hole?" By Brother Guy Consolmagno https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2019/04/10/can-you-find-god-black-hole

"The godless delusion" By Brother Guy Consolmagno https://uscatholic.org/articles/200810/the-godless-delusion/

"Meet the pope's astronomer, who says he'd baptize an alien if given the chance" By David Gibson https://religionnews.com/2014/12/03/meet-popes-astronomer-says-hed-baptize-alien-given-chance/

"Putting faith in the universe" A U.S. Catholic interview with Brother Guy Consolmagno https://uscatholic.org/articles/200807/putting-faith-in-the-universe-the-editors-interview-brother-guy-consolmagno-s-j/

"Guy Consolmangno, the Vatican's Chief Astronomer, on Balancing Church With the Cosmos" By Summer Ash https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/guy-consolmangno-vaticans-chief-astronomer-balancing-church-cosmos-180959242/

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries. https://www.claretiansusa.org/

A common misunderstanding about Catholicism is that the church has preset answers to every possible moral or theological question, and that discussion about the church's teachings or traditions is limited to apologetics. In reality, the Catholic Church does not have a ready answer to every question, and many of its magisterial teachings have evolved and changed over time. So while memorizing definitions from a religious education class can be helpful for an elementary grasp of Catholic thought, it's really just a first step. There's a lot about Catholicism that is not delineated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the teaching tradition itself is filled with complexities and gray areas.

U.S. Catholic's Glad You Asked podcast is dedicated to creating a space for questions about Catholic teaching and tradition that don't have easy or obvious answers. In the first season of the podcast, the U.S. Catholic editors invited scholars, teachers, activists, and men and women religious to discuss some of these questions. And now the podcast is back for a second season, with a new set of intriguing questions and an exciting lineup of guests, including Elizabeth Johnson, Guy Consolmagno, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, and many more.

Glad You Asked will launch its second season on March 3. Sign up below for updates. Or subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Catholics often have to explain to their Protestant friends that no, we don't worship Mary. We do venerate her, though, because she freely chose to say "yes" when God asked her to bring Jesus into the world. And we ask her to intercede for us because of her closeness to Jesus.

Catholics have a set of doctrines about Mary, and a whole branch of theology called Mariology. This doesn't mean every question about who she was and her role in salvation history is set in stone, however. For centuries, theologians–most of them men–have debated topics such as whether or not Mary was perpetually a virgin, how much she knew about her son's mission, and whether she could have, theoretically, said "no" instead of "yes."

But why Mary in the first place? Why did Jesus, whom Catholics worship as the second person of the Trinity, come into the world through the body of a young woman from a poor family in Roman-occupied Palestine? Was this necessary in some way, or just chance? What is the theological significance of God's choice of Mary to bear God to the world? Why, in short, did God choose Mary?

To answer these questions, guest LaRyssa Herrington joins hosts Emily Sanna and Rebecca Bratten Weiss on the final episode of the season. Herrington is a doctoral student in systematic theology at the University of Notre Dame researching womanist theology, Mariology, eschatology, ritual studies, and sacramental theology.

You can learn more about Mariology and read some of Herrington's writing in the links below.

"Mary, Mary, quite contrary" By Elizabeth Johnson https://uscatholic.org/articles/201101/mary-mary-quite-contrary/

"Could Mary have said 'No'?" By Kevin Considine https://uscatholic.org/articles/202003/could-mary-have-said-no/

"How Catholics' love for Mary shaped church teaching" By Alice Camille https://uscatholic.org/articles/202108/how-catholics-love-for-mary-shaped-church-teaching/

"A new illustrated book celebrates Madonnas of color" By LaRyssa Herrington https://uscatholic.org/articles/202208/a-new-illustrated-book-celebrates-madonnas-of-color/

"'Sisters in the Wilderness' after 30 years: Resiliency and survival as the legacy of womanist theology" By LaRyssa Herrington https://www.ncronline.org/opinion/book-reviews/sisters-wilderness-after-30-years-resiliency-and-survival-legacy-womanist

"A sacrament of love: Black Catholic reflections on the life and legacy of bell hooks" By LaRyssa Herrington https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/sacrament-love-black-catholic-reflections-life-and-legacy-bell-hooks

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries. https://www.claretiansusa.org/

Most people in the United States probably remember learning the story of the first Thanksgiving back in elementary school. The pilgrims, as the story goes, made the arduous journey to the Americas on a quest for religious liberty. There they encountered Indigenous people who kindly helped them settle in and get through the first harsh winter. The next year, following a successful first harvest, the pilgrims and their Indigenous friends got together and had a celebratory feast.

However, as many now recognize, this story leaves out most of the ugly realities of colonization. Perhaps it is comforting and heart-warming for white Americans of European descent to imagine their ancestors sitting down with their Indigenous friends for a shared banquet. The first Thanksgiving seems like a convenient symbol for an imaginary past in which European colonizers and Indigenous groups worked out their differences in a spirit of collaboration and mutual tolerance––a symbol intended to disguise the real history of colonization, and all the deceit, violence, oppression, and even genocide it entails. With this in mind, Catholics might wonder whether celebrating Thanksgiving is in keeping with gospel values or whether it is morally problematic.

On today's episode of Glad You Asked, hosts Emily Sanna and Rebecca Bratten Weiss talk to guest Damian Costello about the real history of the first Thanksgiving and whether Catholics should celebrate this holiday. Costello is the author of Black Elk: Colonialism and Lakota Catholicism (Orbis Books). He is also the director of post-graduate studies at NAIITS: An Indigenous Learning Community, and the American cochair of the Indigenous Catholic Research Fellowship. He has studied and written extensively about the intersection of Catholic theology, Indigenous traditions, and colonial history.

Learn more about Indigenous and Catholic relations, and about Costello's work, in the following links.

"Was the first Thanksgiving Catholic?" By Damian Costello https://uscatholic.org/articles/202111/was-the-first-thanksgiving-catholic/

"The Catholic faith of Squanto" By Damian Costello https://uscatholic.org/articles/202011/the-catholic-faith-of-squanto/

"Nicholas Black Elk: Fully Lakota, completely Catholic" By Damian Costello https://uscatholic.org/articles/202105/nicholas-black-elk-fully-lakota-completely-catholic/

"Lakota Catholic tradition gives new meaning to the rosary" By Damian Costello https://uscatholic.org/articles/202104/lakota-catholic-tradition-gives-new-meaning-to-the-rosary/

"This New Testament translation honors the traditions of Native peoples" A U.S. Catholic interview https://uscatholic.org/articles/202108/new-testament-translation-honors-traditions-of-native-peoples/

"The Myths of the Thanksgiving Story and the Lasting Damage They Imbue" By Claire Bugos https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/thanksgiving-myth-and-what-we-should-be-teaching-kids-180973655/

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries. https://www.claretiansusa.org/

For the first few centuries of the church, Christians were pacifists. Jesus' teachings about turning the other cheek, forgiving your enemies, and being peacemakers were taken seriously and literally. But over time, as Christianity became the official religion of the empire rather than a marginal and persecuted sect, the church began to edge out of pacifism and into what is today called "just war theory."

Today, advanced military technologies and weapons of mass destruction pose new challenges for ethicists, theologians, and church leaders. Do the principles of just war theory still stand in a world where whole cities can be incinerated with a single bomb, or where people can be targeted and killed from afar, via drone warfare?

On this episode of Glad You Asked, hosts Emily Sanna and Rebecca Bratten Weiss talk to political philosopher and activist Stephen Schneck about the ethics of serving in the military and how the church's perspective has changed and developed over centuries.

Schneck has served on the board of directors for Catholic Mobilizing Network and for Catholic Climate Covenant, Sojourners, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, and for Democrats for Life of America. He served as national co-chair of Catholics for Obama in 2012 and of Catholics for Biden in 2020. Schneck has also been the executive director of the Franciscan Action Network. In June 2022, the White House appointed Schneck to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.

You can find out more about this topic in these links:

"Should Catholics serve in the military?" By Stephen Schneck https://uscatholic.org/articles/202006/should-catholics-serve-in-the-military/

"Is this just war?: Two Catholic perspectives on the war in Afghanistan" A U.S. Catholic interview https://uscatholic.org/articles/201109/is-this-just-war-two-catholic-perspectives-on-the-war-in-afghanistan-2/

"Drone wars: Shedding light on our country's secret program" A U.S. Catholic interview https://uscatholic.org/articles/201309/drone-wars-shedding-light-on-our-countrys-secret-program/

"Theological and Moral Perspectives on Today's Challenge of Peace" https://www.usccb.org/resources/theological-and-moral-perspectives-todays-challenge-peace

"Pope urged to end Catholic Church's 'just war' teachings" https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36050229

"'Just war' theory often misused for unjust motives, cardinal says" By Junno Arocho Estevez https://www.ncronline.org/spirituality/just-war-theory-often-misused-unjust-motives-cardinal-says

About Stephen Schneck https://www.uscirf.gov/about-uscirf/commissioners/stephen-schneck

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries. https://www.claretiansusa.org/

When we talk about the global history of Catholicism, we may be tempted to portray the church as the unequivocal moral hero in every story. But our factual history is far more complicated than hagiographies and triumphalist narratives would have us believe. Different people at different times have experienced the impact of the church on their culture and personal lives in diverse ways, not always purely benign.

Today's Glad You Asked question, appropriate for Black Catholic History Month, is about the first Black Catholics in the United States. And it can't really be answered if we're unwilling to look objectively at our shared history, both as U.S. citizens and as Catholics.

Who were the first Black Catholics in this country? What were their lives like before they arrived here, and after? How did their experiences help shape the multifaceted reality of the church's identity today?

Discussing these questions might make a lot of people uncomfortable. But we can't grapple with them if we're afraid to face the fact that sometimes Catholics make grave moral errors, and that this nation has not always fought for liberty and justice for all. We also need to consider the fact that Catholicism is not the exclusive property of white Europeans, and that rich Catholic cultures have flourished beyond the world of Gothic cathedrals and Gregorian chant.

Today's guest on the podcast, Leslye Colvin, is a writer, contemplative, and activist who has written and spoken extensively about race and Catholicism. Colvin's most recent research has been into the anti-racist work of Thomas Merton.

You can find more information about Colvin's research, the history of Black Catholics in the United States, and the church's role in anti-racism work, in these links.

"Are there any Black saints from the United States?" By Leslye Colvin https://uscatholic.org/articles/202210/are-there-any-black-saints-from-the-united-states/

"Discovering the anti-racism of Thomas Merton" By Leslye Colvin https://uscatholic.org/articles/202209/discovering-the-anti-racism-of-thomas-merton/

"In the beginning, there were Black Catholics" A U.S. Catholic interview https://uscatholic.org/articles/202010/in-the-beginning-there-were-black-catholics/

African Americans in St. Augustine 1565-1821 https://www.nps.gov/casa/learn/historyculture/african-americans-in-st-augustine-1565-1821.htm

"The History of Black Catholics in America" By Matthew J. Cressler https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-black-catholics-in-america-180969271/

Black Catholic History Month https://cultural.catholic.edu/resources/bchm.html

About Leslye Colvin https://www.leslyecolvin.me/about

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries. https://www.claretiansusa.org/

Some Catholic saints, like Mary Magdalene or Francis of Assisi, are widely known even in secular culture. Other saints, like Anthony of Padua or Thérèse of Lisieux, may not be as familiar to non-Catholics but have devoted followers within the church and are associated with particular prayers or devotions. Then there are many more saints who most people, even practicing Catholics, have probably never heard of. How many people are familiar with St. Drogo, patron saint of bodily ailments, coffee houses, and hernias? Or St. Giles, who––according to popular legend––lived entirely on the milk of a female deer?

And these are just the saints who have been formally canonized––that is, declared to be saints by the church authorities. The Catholic Church also uses the term "saint" in a more broad manner, sometimes to indicate anyone who is in heaven, or as "communion of saints," to indicate anyone who is united in the holy sacraments of the church.

But who decides which individuals in the communion of "small s" saints end up becoming "big S" saints––the formal saints, the ones we venerate and associate with certain areas of patronage? What is the process like, and what are the requirements for being inaugurated into official sainthood?

On this episode of Glad You Asked, hosts Emily Sanna and Rebecca Bratten Weiss talk to guest Kevin Considine about saints, sainthood, and the process of canonization. Considine is director of the Robert J. Schreiter Institute for Precious Blood Spirituality at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. As well as contributing to U.S. Catholic's monthly Glad You Asked column, he has also written extensively about ecology, anti-racism, and popular culture.

You can learn more about saints, sainthood, and canonization in these links:

"Who decides if someone becomes a saint?" By Kevin Considine https://uscatholic.org/articles/202012/who-decides-if-someone-becomes-a-saint/

"U.S. sainthood causes reveal a longing for church renewal" By Peter Feuerherd https://uscatholic.org/articles/202210/u-s-sainthood-causes-reveal-a-longing-for-church-renewal/

"Learning to love the saints? Don't forget the blesseds" By Damian Costello https://uscatholic.org/articles/202201/learning-to-love-the-saints-dont-forget-the-blesseds/

Beatification and Canonization https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02364b.htm

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries. https://www.claretiansusa.org/

The mandate to welcome the stranger predates Christianity and has been both a moral obligation and a sacred trust in many cultures in the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and beyond. Hebrew scripture depicts righteous men such as Abraham welcoming and caring for strangers from afar. It also tells how God punishes those in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah who seek to do violence to guests and strangers. Similarly, in ancient Greek and Roman stories, anyone harming a guest was in danger of provoking the wrath of the gods.

Today, conversations about immigration have become more complicated. Modern nation-states have borders and laws about who can cross those borders. And with geopolitical violence and climate disasters, people are migrating in greater numbers, fleeing war or famine. The Catholic Church is clear in its teaching about our obligation to welcome immigrants and refugees and about the right to immigrate. But the church also teaches that nations have an obligation to secure the common good, which can sometimes mean protecting and securing its borders.

So how should a faithful Catholic approach the question of immigration that is so central to both national and global political debates? In today's episode of Glad You Asked, guest Alice Camille goes back to the source to discuss what Jesus thought and taught about immigration and how this should guide Christians today.

Camille is an award-winning writer as well as an educator and retreat leader. She has worked on developing catechetical materials and written extensively about scripture.

You can read more of her writing and learn more about this subject in the following links:

"What did Jesus think of immigration?" By Alice Camille https://uscatholic.org/articles/201908/what-did-jesus-think-of-immigration/

"The lies are killing us: The need for immigration reform" By Msgr. Arturo Bañuelas https://uscatholic.org/articles/201703/the-lies-are-killing-us-the-need-for-immigration-reform/

Catholic Church's Position on Immigration Reform https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/immigration/churchteachingonimmigrationreform

Immigration Reform and the Catholic Church https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/immigration-reform-and-catholic-church

About Alice Camille https://alicecamille.com/about/

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries. https://www.claretiansusa.org/

The question of whether a priest should ever withhold communion from a Catholic has become the subject of heated debate in recent years. Some believe that priests should deny communion to prominent politicians due to their stance on certain issues, especially the legality of abortion. Others argue that no one who is baptized into the faith should ever be denied communion, since the sacraments should not be weaponized, and humans should not attempt to control divine grace.

Catholics believe that one a priest consecrates the bread and wine it becomes the body and blood of Jesus Christ. According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, "By eating the Body and drinking the Blood of Christ in the Eucharist, we become united to the person of Christ through his humanity." In the Bible, Jesus tells his disciples, "Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them" (John 6:56).

The Catholic church teaches that those who are in a state of grave sin should not receive communion until they have gone to confession and received absolution. But, the church, to be cut off from communion is to be cut off from divine grace. This is why denying a Catholic communion is a serious matter. It is not merely a gesture of disapproval. It has profound theological and spiritual significance.

On today's episode of Glad You Asked, hosts Emily Sanna and Rebecca Bratten Weiss talk to Claretian Father Paul Keller about whether a priest should ever refuse to give communion to a Catholic. Keller is a frequent contributor to U.S. Catholic on issues relating to pastoral ministry, public policy, theology, and ethics.

You can learn more about this topic in these links.

"Can a priest withhold communion from a Catholic?" By Father Paul Keller, C.M.F. https://uscatholic.org/articles/202109/can-a-priest-withhold-communion-from-a-catholic/

"A case study in communion for the divorced/remarried" By Father Paul Keller, C.M.F. https://cruxnow.com/commentary/2017/01/06/case-study-communion-divorcedremarried

"The Reception of Holy Communion at Mass" By the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/the-mass/order-of-mass/liturgy-of-the-eucharist/the-reception-of-holy-communion-at-mass

"Vatican Warns U.S. Bishops About Denying Communion To Supporters Of Abortion Rights" By Sylvia Poggioli https://www.npr.org/2021/05/11/995796836/vatican-warns-u-s-bishops-about-denying-communion-to-supporters-of-abortion-righ

"San Francisco archbishop denying Pelosi Communion over abortion rights" By Felicia Sonmez and Mike DeBonis https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/05/20/pelosi-abortion-archbishop-communion/

"Pastor's denial of Eucharist to Biden stirs up recurring debate" By Peter Feuerherd https://www.ncronline.org/news/people/pastors-denial-eucharist-biden-stirs-recurring-debate

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries. https://www.claretiansusa.org/

Many similarities and common threads can be found between Christian and Muslim faith traditions. Both Christianity and Islam are monotheistic. Both believe in an afterlife. And while Christianity and Islam have different sacred texts, the Bible and the Quran, some central figures—including Abraham, Moses, Mary, and Jesus—appear in both. The Quran depicts Jesus as a teacher, healer, and even a miracle worker. But Muslims do not believe that Jesus is also God, the second person of the Trinity, since belief in the Trinity is a uniquely Christian tradition.

So what does Islam actually teach about who Jesus is? What role does Jesus play in Muslim theology? And can a better understanding of Muslim views on Jesus aid Christians in interfaith dialogue?

Today's guest on the podcast, Jordan Denari Duffner, talks about Muslim teachings and beliefs about Jesus, as well as how these beliefs connect with other tenets of the Muslim faith. An author and a scholar of Muslim-Christian relations, interreligious dialogue, and Islamophobia, Duffner has also worked as a media consultant and analyst. Her books include Finding Jesus among Muslims: How Loving Islam Makes me a Better Catholic, and most recently, Islamophobia: What Christians should Know (and do) about anti-Muslim Discrimination.

You can learn more about Islam, Muslim-Christian relations, and Jordan Denari Duffner in the links below.

"What do Muslims think of Jesus?" By Marianne Farina, C.S.C. https://uscatholic.org/articles/201609/what-do-muslims-think-of-jesus/

"Ignatius and Islam: Uncovering interfaith intersections" By Jordan Denari Duffner https://www.ncronline.org/news/spirituality/ignatius-and-islam-uncovering-interfaith-intersections

"Reading Islam's holy book" By Jordan Denari Duffner https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2018/02/21/reading-islams-holy-book

"Catholics and Muslims: A common cause" A U.S. Catholic interview https://uscatholic.org/articles/201512/catholics-and-muslims-a-common-cause/

Finding Jesus among Muslims: How Loving Islam Makes me a Better Catholic By Jordan Denari Duffner https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Jesus-among-Muslims-Catholic/dp/0814645925

Islamophobia: What Christians should Know (and do) about anti-Muslim Discrimination By Jordan Denari Duffner https://www.amazon.com/Islamophobia-Christians-Should-Anti-Muslim-Discrimination/dp/1626984107

About Jordan Denari Duffner https://jordandenari.com/about/

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries. https://www.claretiansusa.org/