Kresta in the Afternoon

Tens of thousands of Armenian Christians are languishing in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan due to a military blockade cutting them off from the outside world. Mark Movsesian tells us more.

The 2002 film Amen explores the life of Kurt Gerstein, a Christian doctor who was a part of the Nazi party working from the inside to sabotage the Holocaust. It portrays the Vatican response to the Holocaust as timid and vague. How does history remember Pius’ response to the Holocaust? Al discusses.

Catholic schools are, by their very nature, different from their secular counterparts. They do more and teach more and therefore require leaders that are trained to understand this difference. Ave Maria University has developed a new Masters of Education program to address this need. Dr. Daniel Guernsey has the details.

Over the past decade, the state of the Mexican family – so long its strongest institution – has entered the worst crisis of its history. Divorce rates have skyrocketed and eminent Catholic prelates have endorsed homosexual unions. Matthew Hoffman explains where it went wrong.

It's easy to forget how far Catholic have come in the US; we were never the cultural majority and for a large part of American history, Catholics have faced harsh anti-Catholicism. What was like for Catholics in the South during the years leading up to the Civil War? How did they handle life in a society in which slavery was so ingrained? We talk with Adam Tate.

We live in an age of crisis. Financial crisis, political crisis, environmental crisis―the list goes on. We're confronted with calamity every time we read the headlines. But behind each of these lurks another kind of crisis, one we find harder to define: a moral crisis―a crisis of goodness. Behind financial crisis is unrestrained greed; behind political crisis is the lust for power. To properly address the crises that plague our world, we must be formed as people of moral goodness. We must cultivate virtue – and it begins with the Beatitudes. Jonathan Dodson joins us.

Why are JRR Tolkien’s works so universally loved? One reason is the profound moral and religious visions contained within his tales. But Tolkien’s work also highlights leading philosophical and literary concerns of modern thinkers. We look at his post-modern thought with Ralph Wood.

One of our Faith’s greatest treasures is the sacrament of mercy itself, Reconciliation, commonly called Confession. The Eucharistic Revival is a particularly appropriate time to take advantage of this blessing. We talk more with Bobby Angel.

The devastating Maui fires appear to have spared Maria Lanakila Catholic Church in Lahaina, providing a symbol of hope amid catastrophic destruction. Matthew Bunson has more.

After almost a decade of litigation, the New Jersey Supreme Court has reached the sensible conclusion that Catholic schools may require their teachers to follow Catholic teaching. Daniel Benson has the details.