Glad You Asked

Any Christian who has ever loved a family pet or worked closely with animals has probably, at some point, asked whether non-human animals go to heaven. For parents of small children who have lost an animal friend to age, accident, or illness, this question becomes especially fraught with worries about how to help a child through their grieving processes without inculcating inaccurate beliefs about the soul or the afterlife. Some religious leaders seem to think that answering the question "Do dogs go to heaven?" in the affirmative will somehow dilute the specialness of God's love for humanity or compromise the uniqueness of the human soul. But is this accurate? Does the Catholic Church teach that heaven is reserved exclusively for human beings?

On this episode of the podcast, guest Laura Hobgood discusses the topic of non-human animals, the nature of their souls, and whether Christians can look forward to being reunited with their non-human friends in the afterlife.

Hobgood is professor of religion and environmental studies at Southwestern University, where she teaches courses on animals, nature, and religion. She is the author of Holy Dogs and Asses: Animals in the Christian Tradition (University of Illinois Press), The Friends We Keep: Unleashing Christianity's Compassion for Animals (Baylor University Press), and A Dog's History of the World: Canines and the Domestication of Humans (Baylor University Press). She also works as a rescue coordinator and volunteers at an animal shelter.

Read more in these links:

"Do dogs go to heaven?" by Megan Murphy-Gill and Shanna Johnson https://uscatholic.org/articles/201605/do-dogs-go-to-heaven/

"St. Rocco, a dog's best friend," by Angelo Stagnaro https://uscatholic.org/articles/201210/st-rocco-a-dogs-best-friend/

"Meet St. Gertrude, cat lady of the Catholic Church," by René Ostberg https://uscatholic.org/articles/202003/how-st-gertrude-of-nivelles-became-the-cat-lady-of-the-catholic-church/

"In the Bible, it's the animals that steal the show," by Alice Camille https://uscatholic.org/articles/202001/in-the-bible-its-the-animals-that-steal-the-show/

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

Suppose a person were able to time-travel back 800 years and visit Catholic Europe. Despite the common notion that Catholicism remained fixed and unchanging prior to the Second Vatican Council, a theoretical time traveler would find many Catholic beliefs and practices that would seem strange. Some traditions Catholics imagine were deeply rooted in history are relatively recent and weren't around during the golden age of Christendom. Whereas other traditions that once were common have been repudiated by the institutional church or faded into disuse.

One tradition that a time-traveler would likely encounter among educated medieval Catholics is belief in limbo—that is, a kind of in-between afterlife zone for unbaptized babies and virtuous non-Christians. Belief in limbo was so common that Dante depicted it in his theological afterlife epic The Divine Comedy.

But do Catholics still believe in limbo? Where did the idea come from? Was it an official magisterial teaching and, if so, why do we rarely hear about it today?

On this episode of the podcast, Claretian Father Paul Keller talks to the hosts about the concept of limbo, how it is different from purgatory, where the idea originated, and what the church actually teaches about the unbaptized and the afterlife today. Keller is the provincial superior of the Claretian Missionaries of the United States-Canada Province, and 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 the links below.

The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptised https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/cti_documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20070419_un-baptised-infants_en.html

"Pope Benedict 'closed' Limbo and no one complained" by Thomas Reese. https://www.ncronline.org/opinion/guest-voices/pope-benedict-closed-limbo-and-no-one-complained

"Catholic Church buries limbo after centuries" by Philip Pullella. https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-pope-limbo/catholic-church-buries-limbo-after-centuries-idUKL2038306520070420

"Ask an Apostle: My priest says limbo is real" by Teresa Coda. https://uscatholic.org/articles/202106/ask-an-apostle-my-priest-says-limbo-is-real/

"Can the church change?" by Don Clemmer. https://uscatholic.org/articles/202308/can-the-church-change/

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

Over the two thousand years of its existence, the Catholic Church has developed complicated and elaborate leadership structures, with strict rules about who can take which roles and why. These structures can be confusing even for cradle Catholics, who may not be sure about the exact differences between a bishop and an archbishop, or what the different colored robes for different ranks in the church are meant to symbolize.

Some of the highest-ranking church leaders are easily recognizable for their bright red robes. These are the "cardinals" of the Catholic Church, and their tradition of wearing scarlet has been around for centuries. In fact, when European colonizers encountered bright red birds in the Americas, they named them after these similarly adorned princes of the Catholic Church.

But what is the role of cardinals in the church? What do they do? And how does one become a cardinal? Is it possible, as some Catholic reformers suggest, that the rank of cardinal might theoretically be open to women? On this episode of the podcast, guest Don Clemmer talks about the role cardinals play in the leadership and teaching of the church. Clemmer is the editor of Connection magazine for the NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice and coproducer of the Just Politics podcast. He has written extensively for U.S. Catholic, as well as for many other publications, and previously worked in the media relations office of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

You can learn more about this topic, and read some of Clemmer's writing, in these links.

"How does the church choose its cardinals?" by John Switzer. https://uscatholic.org/articles/201505/how-does-the-church-choose-its-cardinals/

"Cardinal Bishop, Cardinal Deacon, Cardinal Priest: What's the Difference?" by Julie Bosman. https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2002/04/cardinal-bishop-cardinal-deacon-cardinal-priest-what-s-the-difference.html

"Can the church change?" by Don Clemmer. https://uscatholic.org/articles/202308/can-the-church-change/

"Can you hear us? A look at the ongoing synod," by Don Clemmer. https://uscatholic.org/articles/202209/can-you-hear-us-a-look-at-the-ongoing-synod/

Belief in the spirit world is central to the Christian faith, but Catholicism takes communion with supernatural realities to a whole new level. Catholics pray not only to God but also to Mary and the saints. Catholics even talk to their dead, say prayers for them, and ask them, in turn, for intercession. The lives of the saints are filled with stories about miraculous healings, levitation, bilocation, visions of the afterlife, and mystical conversations with Jesus, the angels, and the saints.

But does this mean that Catholics believe in ghosts? Does the Catholic Church have a teaching on whether or not the dead can walk this earth, appear to people, and haunt places that were important to them? When Catholics pray to saints or talk to their beloved dead, how is this different from trying to make contact with the spirits of those who have departed this life?

The guest on this episode of Glad You Asked will help answer these questions. Matthew J. Cressler is a scholar of religion, race, and culture. He is the author of Authentically Black and Truly Catholic: The Rise of Black Catholicism in the Great Migrations (NYU Press) as well as numerous scholarly articles. Cressler has written for U.S. Catholic and many other publications, including America, The Atlantic, National Catholic Reporter, Religion News Service, The Revealer, and Slate. Together with Adelle M. Banks, he co-reported the Religion News Service series "Beyond the Most Segregated Hour," which won a Wilbur Award from the Religion Communicators Council.

You can read some of Cressler's writings, and learn more about this topic, in the links below.

"Paranormal activity: Do Catholics believe in ghosts?" by Tim Townsend. https://uscatholic.org/articles/201310/paranormal-activity-do-catholics-believe-in-ghosts/

"Ghosts of Christians past: The church's long history of hauntings" by Tim Townsend. https://uscatholic.org/articles/201310/ghosts-of-christians-past-the-churchs-long-history-of-spooks-and-hauntings/

"You can't have a Catholic imagination without horror," by Matthew J. Cressler. https://uscatholic.org/articles/202210/you-cant-have-a-catholic-imagination-without-horror/

"Exorcists, Abusers, and When Catholic History is Horror," by Matthew J. Cressler. https://therevealer.org/exorcists-abusers-and-when-catholic-history-is-horror/

"How the god you worship influences the ghosts you see," by Joel Abrams. https://theconversation.com/how-the-god-you-worship-influences-the-ghosts-you-see-84163

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

Because the Bible is a conglomeration of diverse texts written in varied historical contexts to meet the needs of diverse audiences, its symbols and motifs might seem strange to contemporary readers. Often, readers may be tempted to impose their own interpretations on some of the more arcane details from Hebrew or Christian scripture.

One such esoteric biblical motif is the number 666. While the original significance of 666 in biblical passages may be difficult to ascertain at a glance, that hasn't prevented generations of readers from imposing their own meanings on this particular set of numerals. Frequently, 666 is associated with the devil, with evil forces and antichrist figures, even with various conspiracy theories. But what does 666 actually signify when it is used in scripture? Is it definitively associated with evil? How would the audiences for whom these ancient texts were written understand the number?

On this episode of the podcast, writer and educator Alice Camille talks about the significance of numbers in the Bible, in general, and the meaning—or meanings—of 666 in particular. Camille is a nationally known and award-winning writer, religious educator, and retreat leader. She has worked in parishes and campus ministry, and published extensively on scripture, including for U.S. Catholic, in the monthly Testaments column.

Learn more about this topic, and read some of Camille's writing, in the links below.

"What is 666 in the Bible?" by Joel Schorn. https://uscatholic.org/articles/201310/what-is-666-in-the-bible/

"Fun With Numbers: 666 Has Good Meanings, Too," by Barnaby Rogerson. https://time.com/3551634/666-good-bad-meanings/

"Scripture interpretations are never set in stone," by Alice Camille. https://uscatholic.org/articles/202306/scripture-interpretations-are-never-set-in-stone/

"The Bible is far more than history. It is legendary." by Alice Camille. https://uscatholic.org/articles/202103/the-bible-is-far-more-than-history-it-is-legendary/

"Navigate life changes with stories from scripture," by Alice Camille. https://uscatholic.org/articles/202009/navigate-life-changes-with-stories-from-scripture/

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

Thanks to horror movies, many people are aware that the Catholic church has rituals, called exorcisms, which are practiced by Catholic priests. In the horror genre, exorcisms are intended to cast evil spirits out of possessed people. They are dramatic events, potentially traumatizing to witness, often attended by screaming, violence, bodily contortions, and supernatural occurrences. But are these portrayals of exorcisms accurate? What is an exorcism, really? Do Catholics believe in demonic possession anymore? And is this an exclusively Catholic ritual?

On this episode of the podcast, guest Andrew Chesnut discusses the Catholic practice of exorcism and what the institutional church teaches about demonic possession. He also talks about the practice of exorcism as a feature of Pentecostal churches in Latin America, and how this ritual overlaps with other religious traditions in post-colonial cultures.

Chesnut is the Bishop Walter Sullivan Chair in Catholic Studies and a professor of religious studies in the School of World Studies in the College of Humanities and Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University. He has researched and published extensively on Latin American folk religions, especially the cult of Santa Muerte, as well as on the practice of exorcism in both the Catholic and the Pentecostal traditions.

You can learn more about this topic in these links:

"The centuries-old practice of exorcism is on the rise. Why now?" An interview with Andrew Chesnut. https://news.vcu.edu/article/The_centuriesold_practice_of_exorcism_is_on_the_rise_Why_now

"The Extraordinary Exorcism of Mexico," by Andrew Chesnut. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-extraordinary-exorcis_b_7585508

"What is an exorcism?" by Richard Fragomeni. https://uscatholic.org/articles/202310/what-is-an-exorcism/

"Exorcism – how does it work and why is it on the rise?" by Helen Hall. https://theconversation.com/exorcism-how-does-it-work-and-why-is-it-on-the-rise-93459

"Exorcism: Increasingly frequent, including after US protests," by David Crary. https://apnews.com/article/portland-san-francisco-oregon-cff13a56cd41997553ea3e9a8fc21384

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

Anyone who has been following Catholic news within the U.S. or globally has probably gotten used to hearing updates about synods. Thanks to the leadership of Pope Francis, terms like "synod" and "synodality" have entered the ordinary vernacular of Catholics. At the time of this recording, the three-year-long Synod on Synodality, running from 2021 to 2024, is still ongoing, but many Catholics may still be uncertain about the purpose of this event, or what a synod even is.

Today's guest on the first episode of season three of the Glad You Asked podcast, can help clarify what the Synod on Synodality is all about, and how to understand Pope Francis' vision for a synodal church within the context of existing tradition, going back to the earliest days of Christianity.

Amanda Osheim is Endowed Professor of the Breitbach Catholic Thinkers and Leaders Program and Professor of Practical Theology at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. Her publications include A Ministry of Discernment: The Bishop and the Sense of the Faithful and Stepping Towards a Synodal Church. Her research interests include the Holy Spirit, the church, and ministry.

You can read more about this topic in these links:

"Can you hear us? A look at the ongoing synod" by Don Clemmer. https://uscatholic.org/articles/202209/can-you-hear-us-a-look-at-the-ongoing-synod/

"For the synod to succeed, the church must listen to all of us" by Milton Javier Bravo. https://uscatholic.org/articles/202203/for-the-synod-to-succeed-the-church-must-listen-to-all-of-us/

"What Is a Synod in the Catholic Church? And Why Does This One Matter?" by Jason Horowitz and Elisabetta Povoledo https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/02/world/europe/what-is-a-synod-pope-church.html

"Are you ready for a synod of possibility?" by Patrick Saint-Jean. https://www.ncronline.org/opinion/guest-voices/are-you-ready-synod-possibility

"On our pilgrim way," by Amanda Osheim. https://www.americamagazine.org/content/all-things/our-pilgrim-way

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

People who are curious about basic Catholic teachings and traditions have a wealth of resources to turn to, from the Catechism of the Catholic Church to various official documents, going back centuries. But when it comes to some questions about morality or belief, the church does not have an official position.

Understanding some topics from a Catholic perspective sometimes means getting familiar with the ongoing discussions that scholars, theologians, and church leaders have had, over the ages—and with the way perspectives and even teachings have changed. And sometimes it means looking at the way the practices of the faithful have developed, from one culture to the next.

These are the kinds of topics that the Glad You Asked podcast explores. In the past two seasons, the hosts and their guests have delved into such topics as whether God has a gender, why God chose Mary, and whether it was absolutely necessary for Jesus to die on the cross. Glad You Asked is back now for its third season, with a new set of questions that are easy to ask but not so easy to answer.

Season three will launch on October 6. Sign up below for updates, or subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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

Most Christians are aware of the basic theology about the first two persons of the Trinity: the Father and the Son. Both the Father and the Son are widely represented in scripture and alluded to in tradition and liturgy. Although we know, according to strict theology, that the Father is not an embodied person, let alone an enfleshed male, we have grown comfortable with thinking of the first person of the Trinity in human terms, often as an older man––maybe a kindly father figure, maybe a stern and just judge. And we have created thousands of artistic representations of Jesus, the Son of God, seeking to understand the second person of the Trinity via a broad variety of artistic and cultural traditions.

But the Holy Spirit remains elusive and difficult to pin down. Catholics and other Christians are not always entirely certain who the Spirit is, or the Spirit's role in the life of faith. And unlike the Father and the Son, the third person of the Trinity is frequently represented, both in scripture and in other sacred texts and art, not as a human figure, but as a bird.

On this episode of the podcast, guest Grace Ji-Sun Kim talks to hosts Emily Sanna and Rebecca Bratten Weiss about why the Holy Spirit appears as a dove, and what this means for the church and for our life of faith. Kim is professor of theology at Earlham School of Religion and the author and editor of 21 books, most recently Invisible (Fortress Press) and Reimagining Spirit (Wipf and Stock). She is the host of the Madang podcast which is sponsored by the Christian Century. She has written for U.S. Catholic as well as the Huffington Post, The Nation, Sojourners, and TIME.

You can learn more about this topic and read some of Kim's writing in these links.

"Let the Holy Spirit guide how we talk about race," by Grace Ji-Sun Kim https://uscatholic.org/articles/201709/let-the-holy-spirit-guide-how-we-talk-about-race/

"They'll Know We Are Christians by Our 'Jeong,'" by Grace Ji-Sun Kim https://sojo.net/magazine/february-2019/they-ll-know-we-are-christians-our-jeong

"For a more inclusive vision of the church, look to Pentecost," by Grace Ji-Sun Kim https://uscatholic.org/articles/202305/for-a-more-inclusive-vision-of-the-church-look-to-pentecost/

"Grace Ji-Sun Kim: It's time to recover the Spirit." A Faith and Leadership interview https://faithandleadership.com/grace-ji-sun-kim-its-time-recover-the-spirit

"What are the symbols of the Holy Spirit?" by Father Michael A. Van Sloun https://www.archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/catholic-faith/what-are-the-symbols-of-the-holy-spirit/

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

Can women preach in churches? People may answer this question in different ways, depending on their denomination or faith tradition. Some Christian churches allow for women to be ordained. In others, women are barred from any kind of teaching or leadership position at all. Many women working in faith-based ministries have likely heard such statements as "it's unBiblical for women to preach," "women should be silent in the churches," or "women are to be subservient to men, as the church is to Christ."

But what should Catholics make of the different, sometimes seemingly contradictory scripture passages about women preaching? What is the actual history of women preaching, from the early church on? And is there an official Catholic teaching on whether women can preach in churches or not?

On this episode of the podcast, hosts Emily Sanna and Rebecca Bratten Weiss talk to Rhonda Miska about the scriptures, history, and teachings associated with women preaching.

Miska is a preacher, lay ecclesial minister, writer, and spiritual director based in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. She holds a master's degree from the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry and spent several years discerning vowed life with the Dominicans, the Order of Preachers. She is the founder and co-convener of the Catholic Women's Preaching Circle.

You can learn more about this topic, read some of Rhonda's writing, and hear her preach in these links.

"Should women preach at Mass?" by Jessie Bazan https://uscatholic.org/articles/202002/should-women-preach-at-mass/

"How can preachers break through the noise of today's world?" by Rhonda Miska https://uscatholic.org/articles/202204/what-makes-a-good-homily/

"Two historians track down Jesus' women disciples," A U.S. Catholic interview https://uscatholic.org/articles/202209/two-historians-track-down-jesus-women-disciples/

"We need more women in the lectionary," by Jean P. Kelly https://uscatholic.org/articles/201903/we-need-more-women-in-the-lectionary/

"A reflection for the second Sunday of Easter," by Rhonda Miska https://uscatholic.org/articles/202204/a-reflection-for-the-second-sunday-of-easter-2/

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