Kresta in the Afternoon

The 1975 Apollo-Soyuz space mission was an important step in Russia-US relations, as the two rivals were able to set aside political differences for the sake of science. And for more than 20 years, the countries have been able to work together on the International Space Station. But yesterday Russia announced it would leave the project when operation agreements end in 2024. We look at the possible impacts with Dr. Wendy Whitman-Cobb.

The midterms are still several months away, but we know they’re going to be another round of nasty political fighting. Want to know a great remedy? A pilgrimage. Teresa Tomeo joins us to invite you to join her and Fr. James Conlon this fall to follow the steps of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Peter.

Last week Justice Elena Kagan expressed concern over the future of the Court, saying that if “the court loses all connection with the public and public sentiment, that’s a dangerous thing for democracy.” What role is the Court supposed to play in our society, and should it ever consider public sentiment? John Czarnetzky joins us.

Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers has spent years discussing the power of God’s Mercy. He experienced it firsthand when he was able to heal a broken relationship with his father, whom he hadn’t seen in years. He joins us with this story and to discuss how we can find healing in Christ’s Divine Mercy.

For most of recorded history, cultures and societies sanctioned differences among peoples. Slavery was almost universally accepted and legal distinctions based on race, gender and ethnicity were justified. How did religion help restructure society towards a view of all humans having inherent dignity? We talk with PJ Hill.

In July 1967, a group of prominent Catholic university leaders put together what is commonly known as the Land o' Lakes Statement, the result of a three-day conference on the nature of contemporary Catholic universities. The signatories vowed to avoid "theological imperialism" in favor of "creative dialogue" and pledged themselves to "true autonomy and academic freedom in the face of authority of any kind, lay or clerical, external to the academic community itself." 55 years later, many Catholic universities have completely caved to the culture and - save for an empty on-campus chapel and a required "religious studies" course - are indistinguishable from their secular counterparts. Bishop James Conley joins us to discuss the path to renewal.

This month the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, a service of the Department of Health and Human Services, shortened its phone number to 988. Anyone who is experiencing a mental health crisis can call that number and be connected with counseling in their area. Mental health awareness has increased significantly in recent years, but unfortunately many people in this field overlook the importance of prayer. Al discusses.

GK Chesterton was received into the Catholic Church on July 30, 1922. 100 years later, we still feel the impact of that conversion. In 1933 he wrote that “The disintegration of rational society started in the drift from the hearth and the family. The solution must be a drift back.” That observation has certainly been proven true. Dale Ahlquist joins us with more.

Dr. John Bruchalski is a pro-life OB/GYN who has founded two practices that help pregnant women. But he wasn’t always this way – during his years in residency, he performed abortions up into the third trimester. He tells us what brought about the change.

There’s a popular phrase from the feminist movement of the mid-20th Century: “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle!” Both sexes suffer when the functions, values, and truths about one of them are put down. When men are not allowed to be men, then women are not allowed to be women—and neither can flourish. Anthony Esolen joins us.