Jesuitical

This week on Jesuitical: A feed drop of this week's special “Inside the Vatican” roundtable, a discussion of “Magnifica Humanitas,” Pope Leo’s groundbreaking first encyclical on protecting the human person in the age of artificial intelligence. Host Colleen Dulle sits down with her co-host and senior Vatican correspondent, Gerard O’Connell, as well as America’s president and editor in chief, Sam Sawyer, S.J.

They discuss the document’s key takeaways, how it is being received in Silicon Valley, Pope Leo’s challenge for every Catholic in the A.I. age and much more. 

Chapters:

Links:

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This week on the “Jesuitical” podcast, Ashley McKinless and Zac Davis speak to theologian and legal scholar Cathleen Kaveny about why Catholics seem obsessed with questions of sexual morality. They were prompted to dig into the historical development of Catholic sexual ethics after Pope Leo said in a press conference, “We tend to think that when the church is talking about morality, that the only issue of morality is sexual. And in reality, I believe there are much greater, more important issues…”

00:00 Leo's comments on sexual morality

4:08 What Scripture says

6:05 How Catholic teaching developed

9:30 What is "natural law"?

16:37 How Catholics became obsessed with sex

20:26 JPII's "theology of the body"

24:41 Sex and justice

28:50 Sex, confession and salvation

36:35 A healthy approach to sex

Links:

Pope Leo speaks on same-sex blessings, migration and more on plane back to Rome

Heaven and hell in post-Vatican II Catholicism: How to move from fear to love

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This week, Jesuitical co-host Ashley McKinless and producer Sebastian Gomes speak to Michael W. Higgins about the spiritual master, Father Henri Nouwen (1932-1996). They explore Nouwen’s “wounded healer” approach to ministry, his brokenness and vulnerability, and his impact on contemporary Catholic thought.

In “Signs of the Times,” Ashley and Zac discuss Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Pope Leo, plans for a border wall through a pilgrimage site, a cosmetics mogul turned Catholic priest, and when customer service hung up on Pope Leo.

00:00 Who is Henri Nouwen?

2:51 Pope Leo meets Marco Rubio

7:42 A border wall through a pilgrimage site?

10:40 A cosmetics mogul turned Catholic priest

12:39 Customer service hangs up on Pope Leo

15:40 You need to know Henri Nouwen

18:31 Henri Nouwen was an enigma

25:14 Nouwen's writings

31:23 How Nouwen understood priesthood

36:54 Intimacy, celibacy and homosexuality

41:17 Nouwen, the wounded healer

44:52 Good ministry isn't performative

48:39 How Nouwen prayed

58:00 Faith sharing: overcoming performative piety

Links:

Pope Leo XIV’s First Year

Pope Leo meets with Marco Rubio amid Trump’s personal attacks

Catholic diocese fights Trump administration plan to seize pilgrimage site for border wall Cosmetics millionaire turned seminarian, he’d give fortune ‘back a million times’ for Jesus

Story of customer service agent hanging up on Leo shows pope’s ‘normal’ side

"Genius Born of Anguish: The Life and Legacy of Henri Nouwen"

2026 Henri Nouwen Conference: "Longing for Home: The Prophetic Witness of Henri Nouwen in a Wounded World"

Henri Nouwen Society

Henri Nouwen: How to (actually) pray without ceasing

The Monk and The Cripple by Henri Nouwen, 1980

Podcast Deep Dive: The first American pope—how it happened and what it means

Performative piety: Why liturgy is not a space for self-expression

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Jesuitical’s co-host Zac Davis is joined by America's Vatican correspondent, Colleen Dulle, and executive editor Sebastian Gomes to assess the first year of Pope Leo XIV’s ministry as Bishop of Rome. They discuss Leo’s style, priorities and to what degree is continuing Pope Francis’ reforming agenda.

00:00 Pope Leo's first year

1:56 Can Pope Leo be claimed by the left or the right?

5:45 Is Pope Leo continuing Pope Francis' agenda?

13:30 Pope Leo's style

19:42 Women and sexuality

23:18 Is church unity the priority?

27:45 Pope Leo's appeals for peace

Links:

Pope Leo at year one: The progress of an American pope

Pope Leo’s powerful lesson in vulnerable leadership

Trump, Pope Leo, William F. Buckley and John XXIII: An overview of Popes and Politics in America

Pope Leo remembers ‘the great gift’ of Pope Francis on the first anniversary of his death

Pope Leo denounces those who use the name God for military gain

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This week on “Jesuitical,” Ashley and Zac talk to Laura Kelly Fanucci, author of Living Easter: 50 Days to Practice Resurrection. Together, they discuss the tendency among Christians to overlook the 50-day Easter season, as well as Laura’s personal experiences and struggles practicing resurrection.

In Signs of the Times, Ashley and Zac speak with James Martin, S.J., editor at large for America, to unpack Pope Leo’s recent comments about blessings for same-sex couples and the church’s teaching on sexual morality.

And in As One Friend Speaks to Another, Ashley shares her experience taking on a new role at America and the graces that it has brought her.

00:00 Is Easter harder than Lent?

2:05 German bishops to bless same-sex couples

6:00 How Pope Leo responded

9:20 Church unity and sexual morality

12:43 Is the church at an impasse?

15:20 Is the Easter season too long?

18:34 How to practice Easter-ing

26:29 Resurrection stories to learn from

30:57 Resurrecting Pentecost

34:52 Uniting suffering to Christ

41:13 Grief, scars and resurrection in Minneapolis

48:20 Faith sharing

 Links

Order Laura’s new book, Living Easter: 50 Days to Practice Resurrection

Pope Leo speaks on same-sex blessings, migration and more on plane back to Rome

Remarks on sexual ethics highlight Pope Leo’s pastoral priorities

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This week on “Jesuitical,” Ashley and Zac speak with Ryan Burge, author of the “Graphs about Religion” Substack and the new book, The Vanishing Church: How the Hollowing Out of Moderate Congregations Is Hurting Democracy, Faith, and Us. They discuss the polarization of U.S. Christianity and the supposed Gen-Z “religious revival.”

In Signs of the Times, Ashley and Zac discuss some highlights from Pope Leo’s trip to Africa; what Pope Leo called the not-exactly-accurate media narrative around him and President Trump; and the first anniversary of Pope Francis’ death.

00:00 A Gen-Z religious revival?

Links:

⁠Order Ryan’s book, The Vanishing Church⁠

⁠Graphs about Religion⁠

⁠Pope Leo walks in the footsteps of St. Augustine in Hippo⁠

⁠Pope Leo denounces those who use the name God for military gain⁠

⁠Pope Leo named one of Time magazine’s ‘100 Most Influential People of 2026’⁠

⁠Pope Leo remembers ‘the great gift’ of Pope Francis on the first anniversary of his death⁠

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You can find us on Facebook at ⁠facebook.com/groups/jesuitical.⁠ 

Please consider supporting Jesuitical by becoming a digital subscriber to America magazine at ⁠americamagazine.org/subscribe⁠

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This week on “Jesuitical,” Ashley and Zac speak with John Carr, founder of Georgetown University’s Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life.

In “Signs of the Times,” a cross-promotion of America’s roundtable discussion between Ashley, Sam Sawyer, S.J., the president and editor in chief, and Colleen Dulle, Vatican correspondent and co-host of “Inside the Vatican,” on President Trump’s unprecedented social media attack on Pope Leo XIV.

00:00 President Trump's words for Pope Leo

1:55 Pope Leo's criticism of war

3:14 Pope Leo's response to Trump

5:26 U.S. Bishops respond to Trump

6:22 Reactions to Trump's tirade

8:03 Did Trump influence Leo's election?

11:00 Don't take the President's bait

14:40 Impact on U.S.-Vatican relations

19:10 John Carr wanted to be a priest and a senator

21:25 Catholic teaching on mass deportations

30:32 Catholic social teaching is a long, reliable tradition

37:05 Is social justice redeemable?

47:10 How money influences Catholic priorities

50:13 First impressions of Pope Leo

 Links for further reading: 

John Carr: Lessons from 50 years at the intersection of Catholic social teaching and public life

Reactions: President Trump lashes out at Pope Leo XIV

Trump is trying to distract us from Pope Leo’s calls for peace. Don’t take the bait.

Trump lambasts Pope Leo: ‘I’m not a fan.’

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This week on a special crossover episode of “Jesuitical,” Ashley and Colleen Dulle, host of the “Inside the Vatican” podcast, speak with Gerard O’Connell, America’s senior Vatican correspondent, and his wife Elisabetta Piqué about co-writing The Election of Pope Leo XIV: The Last Surprise of Pope Francis.

In “Signs of the Times,” Ashley and guest host Sebastian break down Pope Leo’s first Holy Week and how it was shaped by the conflict between the United States and Iran. They also discuss astronaut Victor Glover, the pilot of the Artemis II mission, and his Easter message from space. 

Finally, in “As One Friend Speaks to Another,” Ashley and Sebastian talk about how the death and resurrection of Christ can help us understand and live through the extremes of this past week’s news—the threat of Iran’s total destruction and the new heights reached by humanity in space.

 Links:

The Election of Pope Leo XIV: The Last Surprise of Pope Francis, by Gerard O’Connell and Elisabetta Pique

Excerpt: Behind the scenes of Pope Leo XIV’s election

Pope Leo praises U.S.-Iran ceasefire as ‘sign of genuine hope,’ presses for peace

Pope Leo: Trump’s threat to destroy Iran ‘truly unacceptable’

What photos from the Artemis II astronauts say to us in a time of war

Artemis astronaut: Moon mission inspires wonder, prayer and unity

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In March 2026, the Vatican’s doctrine office released its final report on women’s participation in the life and leadership of the Catholic Church. The report brings to a close the two-year work of Study Group 5, which, as part of the Synod on Synodality, was tasked with studying women’s ministries and leadership. In this special roundtable conversation, editors at America magazine discuss the report’s content and proposals, and ask if the document changes the status quo for women in the Catholic Church.

Featuring:

Ashley McKinless, executive editor and co-host of the “Jesuitical” podcast

Kerry Weber, executive editor

Colleen Dulle, Vatican correspondent and co-host of the “Inside the Vatican” podcast

Molly Cahill, associate editor

0:00 The Vatican’s final report on women and ministry

4:23 Women’s reactions to the report

11:28 New ministries for women?

20:05 The horizons and limits of women’s authority

30:30 Will women be involved in decision-making?

Links:

⁠The final synod report on women: what it says, what it means and what’s next⁠

⁠Where the women deacons question stands at the Vatican⁠

⁠Full Report of Study Group 5 on “The Participation of Women in the Life and Leadership of the Church⁠”

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This week on “Jesuitical,” Ashley and Zac speak with Bishop Michael Martin, O.F.M. Conv., of the Diocese of Charlotte. Bishop Martin sparked headlines in 2025 when a document leaked with plans to restrict the Latin Mass and other liturgical practices in his diocese.

Ashley, Zac and Bishop Martin discuss:

- His pastoral priorities as bishop of Charlotte

- Changes to the celebration of the Latin Mass in his diocese

- How he approaches his outspoken critics within his community—and online

In “Signs of the Times,” Ashley and Zac discuss the recent sexual abuse allegations against Cesar Chavez; Pope Leo’s call for bishops to come to Rome for a meeting on the family in October 2026; and a Belgian bishop who said he will “make every effort” to ordain married men as priests by the year 2028. Finally, in light of Easter coming up, Zac and Ashley talk about the pope’s favorite candy, Peeps!

Finally, in “As One Friend Speaks to Another,” Ashley talks about her experience inadvertently unplugging on a recent trip and the spiritual freedom found from it.

 Links for further reading: 

How the cover-up of Cesar Chavez’s abuse mirrored the clergy sex abuse crisis

What you need to know about Pope Leo’s October meeting on marriage and family

Belgian bishop says he will ‘make every effort’ to ordain married men by 2028

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