Kresta in the Afternoon

The election of John Paul II broke a pattern. For more than a century, nearly every pontiff had been a trained papal diplomat. The papacies of John Paul II and Benedict set a new trend – they were scholars long before they were made Cardinals. We look at how Benedict’s theological background affected his approach to his papacy with Msgr. Michael Heintz.

The experience of illness can be isolating and alienating, and make us feel out of place in a world of healthy people. Modern medicine has done wonders in healing the physical aspects of a disease, but many still struggle to cope with the existential dimensions of the experience of disease or injury. Xavier Symons joins us with a solution.

Catholic schools in the United States have often been countercultural. Today our schools challenge the dogmatic culture of secularism that's gripping public institutions — and none do so more effectively than Catholic classical schools. Andrea Picciotti-Bayer joins us with more.

In the last week, the Vatican has appointed three new bishops in China. What does this tell us about the state of Vatican-China relations? Ken Oliver joins us with this and other church news.

The sexual revolution has revolutionized everything, to the point where questions that once had simple answers have become complicated. For instance, the question “Can I attend a gay wedding?” comes up with increasing frequency and is proving less and less easy to answer. Carl Trueman helps us work it out.

The olive tree has been a symbol of peace for centuries. A dove brought an olive branch to Noah in the Book of Genesis, King David wrote in the psalms that he was an olive tree flourishing in the House of God, and anointing with oil continues to be an honored ritual. We explore more about the meaning of the olive tree with James Day.

The College of St Joseph in Ohio is taking a new approach to higher education, combining Catholic studies with training in skilled trades. Mike Sullivan, President of the College, tells us how it all came about.

Cynthia Scodova was raised in a Fundamentalist branch of Protestant Christianity during the 60s and 70s. As a teenager she was drawn toward nature mysticism and eastern philosophies, and a few years later she found herself fully embracing the "spirituality" of the liberal movements of the 70s and 80s. She did eventually marry, though she did not want kids - but it was her first child that began her journey to the Church. She joins us.

The most famous priest to be killed by the Nazis is probably Saint Maximilian Kolbe, who died in Auschwitz in 1941. But he was far from the only priest to be murdered. Three of the thirty barracks at the Dachau concentration camp were occupied by clergy, and of the 2,720 men imprisoned there, 2,579 were Catholics. More than a third of the men in the "priest block" died there. Fr Joseph Fessio joins us with their stories.

Much has been written and studied about the Holocaust. And, like other atrocities, we tend to focus on the crimes and the villains rather than the victims and heroes of the story. During the Nazi regime, citizens all over Europe worked to dismantle the party. Today, we look at the story of the German White Rose resistance and the life of Sophie Scholl. Paul Shrimpton joins us.