Kresta in the Afternoon

A baby has been born in the UK with DNA from three parents via a revolutionary IVF procedure designed to prevent rare but dangerous mitochondrial diseases. When the UK first considered approving the procedure in 2015, the English bishops said it was happening too hastily and objected to the destruction of human embryos. We look closer at the story with Fr. Tad Pacholczyk.

In this Sunday’s Gospel Jesus gives us a simple command: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” What does this mean to a world that lives by the mantra of “it’s my life and I’ll do what I want?” Peggy Stanton joins us.

Scripture portrays the covenant between God and his people as a divine-human marriage spanning through all of human history. In the eyes of Jewish scholars, God married humanity in the Garden of Eden, and that union was broken by sin and restored throughout the Old Testament. We explore this union of Divine Love further with Andre Villeneuve.

Ever notice that common sense isn’t so common anymore? Each time we check our news feeds or turn on the TV, it seems the world is getting wackier. Right is wrong, wrong is right, up is down, and the only thing that’s unacceptable is refusing to accept that anything and everything under the sun is . . . acceptable. Teresa Tomeo may have a solution – wisdom from her street-smart Italian-American mother. She joins us.

In the book of Ecclesiastes we read how God has “made everything beautiful in its time.” Focusing on things that are beautiful, true and good is part of what makes the Christian worldview unique. How do we keep this worldview in an ugly and noisy world? Jimmy Mitchell is our guest.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a unique gift. It explains all the tenants of our faith in one volume, and gives the Scriptures and other writings that are the basis of these teachings. For most of Church history, such a resource did not exist – so now that we have one, why don’t more people take advantage of it? Fr. Mike Schmitz joins us, and you can join him on the Good News Cruise!

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has released its annual report on the state of religious freedom worldwide and is calling on the State Department to take more concrete action against offenders. Among these is adding Syria and Vietnam to the list of Countries of Particular Concern due to systemic violations of religious liberty. Ed Clancy has more

In March, the bishops of France announced they would petition the Holy See for permission to open a beatification cause for Fr. Henri de Lubac. As it’s the 60th anniversary of Vatican II, it’s fitting that they are honoring a man who was so integral to the process. But for some, it’s a controversial decision. What makes him such a divisive figure? We talk with Dr. Sara Hulse Kirby.

Scholars and popular authors regularly claim that Christianity, at least orthodox Christianity, has fostered oppression and intolerance, and that rejecting religion is a key step to advancing liberty and equality. But throughout American history, Christians have been motivated by their faith to create fair and just institutions, fight for political freedom, oppose slavery, and secure religious liberty for all. Mark David Hall joins us with more.

The Department of Health and Human Services recently ordered St. Francis Health System, a Catholic hospital in Oklahoma, to extinguish a Eucharistic candle in one of its hospital chapels. HHS claimed it was a fire hazard and threatened that the hospital could lose its accreditation if it failed to comply. After religious liberty lawyers brought attention to the case last week, the Department backed off. We’ll talk more about it with Andrea Picciotti-Bayer.