Kresta in the Afternoon

Ratings for the Oscars have been down for a few years, but last night gave us one of the most memorable – and controversial – moments in the event’s history. After Chris Rock made a joke about his wife, Will Smith stormed the stage and hit him across the face. Minutes later, Smith was awarded Best Actor. We look at some of the responses with Steven Greydanus.

We spoke last week with John Quinn, whose son Tyler Jacob has been taken by Russian soldiers as he attempted to leave Ukraine. Late on Friday, John received the news that Tyler is safe and has been released. He joins us.

The Supreme Court ruled in favor yesterday of a condemned man who requested to have his pastor lay hands on him during his execution. Writing for the 8-1 majority, Chief Justice Roberts founds that while the State has a “compelling interest in preventing disruptions,” those concerns “could be addressed with appropriate restrictions.” Andrea Picciotti-Bayer has more.

What would you do if you suddenly had very good reason to believe your entire family history was a lie? That's what Frank Stephens has to consider in a new novel by Larry Denninger. When cleaning out his childhood home, he discovers songs his father composed for "Clara" - but Frank's late mother was named Louise. What other secrets was his father hiding? Larry gives us a preview of the story.

As we approach Holy Week, many of us will be praying the Stations of the Cross. You don't need to attend a service at Church to do so - there are lots of ways to benefit from this spiritual practice. We talk with Dr. Ed Sri

This afternoon Pope Francis officially consecrated Russia and Ukraine. We talk with Matthew Bunson, who also has an update on the German Bishops' response to criticisms of the Synod.

Last week, Catholic activist Benedict Rogers received a formal warning from the Hong Kong Police Force’s National Security Department, threatening him with fines and even arrest for his work with Hong Kong Watch. They also demanded he shut down his website. But he isn’t letting that stop him. He joins us today.

As more Americans leave organized religion, they find themselves looking for spirituality in other places. They look to all sorts of everyday activities--from eating and parenting to dating and voting--for the identity, purpose, and meaning once provided on Sunday morning. In our striving, we are chasing a sense of enoughness. But it remains ever out of reach, and the effort and anxiety are burning us out. We talk about it with David Zahl.

Today is the feast of St Oscar Romero. Al looks at his life and teachings and responds to the claim that he was not really martyred in hatred of the faith.

Dioceses all over the world, including more than 150 in the USA, have said they will join Pope Francis in tomorrow's Consecration of Russia and Ukraine. Peggy Stanton gives us a preview of what will happen and why it is significant.