Kresta in the Afternoon

When the media covers Catholic politicians, it’s common to hear the terms “liberal” or “conservative” Catholic. But since Catholicism exists outside the realm of the US Political system, those definitions aren’t particularly helpful. Terry Mattingly has another way of looking at it – “pro-Catechism” Catholic. He joins us to weigh in on this and how the media has covered the Catholic angle of the Dobbs decision.

The monastic lifestyle began spreading throughout the West a few centuries after Christ’s death, but it was not uniform. Each monk lived his own lifestyle and tradition. That began to changed when Benedict of Nursia became a hermit and authored his Rule, which would become the universal guide for Western monks. Bill Cook tells the story.

While criticizing the overturn of Roe, President Biden told the story of a 10-year-old Ohio girl who became pregnant through rape and need to go across state lines to obtain an abortion. But a Washington Post fact-check has had trouble verifying the story. What do we know? Al discusses.

New data from the United Nations projects that India will overtake China as the world’s most population by 2023, and that the total global population will top 8 Billion late this fall. With this news will come the usual calls for increased birth control access to combat overpopulation, especially after the Dobbs decision. This effort goes back to the years after World War II, when US policymakers initiated federally-funded family planning. Donald Critchlow tells the story.

The issue of abortion is far beyond a political issue. It addresses our deepest understanding of what it means to be human. St John Paul the Great addressed this in Evangelium vitae – the Gospel of Life. Al discusses.

At the recent World Meeting of Families in Rome, Dr Greg and Lisa Popcak gave a presentation entitled “The Domestic Church and Synodality: Towards a New Ecclesiology through the Liturgy of Domestic Church Life.” They join us to discuss what this means and how you can grow in the new liturgy of the Domestic Church.

For decades, pro-abortion Democrats have relied on the courts as a last resort to block state laws attempting to limit or regulate abortion. With the Dobbs ruling removing that option, they are now turning to more subversive tactics. Clare Kosmalski joins us.

Pope Francis has said he would announce the appointment of two women to the Vatican committee that elects bishops. It will be the first time women have served on this dicastery. We look at this and other Church news with Matthew Bunson.

When the Supreme Court ruled in Planned Parenthood v Casey, Justices O’Connor, Souter and Kennedy wrote that abortion was necessary to assure women’s capacity to “participate equally in the economic and social life of the nation.” But a cursory review of history reveals that women’s increased participation in political, social, and economic spheres of American life predated Roe. Teresa Collett explains.

In this Sunday's Gospel, we hear the parable of the Good Samaritan. Almost everyone knows the story, but do you know its deeper meanings? We explore some of the overlooked symbols and messages of the parable with Peggy Stanton.