Kresta in the Afternoon

The Vatican has officially excommunicated Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, citing his “public statements manifesting his refusal to recognize and submit to the Supreme Pontiff, his rejection of communion with the members of the Church subject to him, and of the legitimacy and magisterial authority of the Second Vatican Council.” Matthew Bunson has more on this and other Church news.

Have you ever found yourself struggling to pray? Or even with wanting to pray? This “wanting to want to pray” is the first touch by God, because even desiring to desire can be an expression of love. David Fagerberg joins us with more.

Christians throughout the ages have engaged the problem of Suffering. Why would a loving God allow us to suffer? Marcus examines the issue through the writings of CS Lewis.

Marcus reflects on the things that make our nation the blessing that it is.

Does the First Amendment guarantee us the right to be free from religion in the public square? Does it guarantee religious individuals and institutions the right to be exempt from otherwise valid laws that burden their religious beliefs and practices? Dr. Vincent Phillip Munoz is our guest.

There’s no arguing it: The United States of America, as our founders conceived it, started in 1776. Paul Kengor joins us.

As Catholic Americans prepare to mark Independence Day, we naturally look not only to the well-known “founding fathers” such as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington but also to our Catholic forbears, including Junipero Serra. We examine his life with Kevin Schmiesing.

Philosophy is the reflective attempt to illuminate our human experience and integrate it into a unified vision of reality. Catholic philosophy comes in many forms and schools of thought, but it cannot deconstruct the ultimate truths of the faith. We explore the thoughts of four Catholic philosophers with Richard Spinello.

At the Synod on Synodality last year, Australian theologian Fr Ormond Rush spoke on Joseph Ratzinger’s theology of revelation and faith, in light of his commentary on Dei Verbum. Eduardo Echeverria helps us understand it.

There’s been a recent resurgence of interest in ancient Stoicism, because it provides some of the Christian benefits without – so people think – the Christian dogmas. The Stoics, in fact, had their own fundamental dogmas, starting with the benevolence of the Divine Nature. Do many modern Stoics believe in that? Robert Royal joins us with more.