Dr. Ligaya Acosta, HLI's Regional Director for Asia and Oceania, discusses the growing push to legalize divorce in the Philippines.

Right now, the Philippines is facing immense pressure from Western governments, foreign-funded NGOs, and pro-divorce activists to legalize divorce. On this episode, Dr. Ligaya Acosta explains why the Filipino people overwhelmingly reject divorce, how outside money drives the agenda, and what’s really happening inside the nation’s political system.

Dr. Ligaya Acosta also shares a deeply personal and unexpected testimony about the struggles in her own marriage, how she and her husband overcame a period of darkness, and why those experiences now allow her to accompany couples with authentic compassion. Her story reveals the profound spiritual battle underlying attacks on marriage and family.

Topics in this episode:

• Why the Philippines has resisted divorce for decades
• Foreign influence and NGO funding behind the divorce movement
• Cultural, religious, and historical reasons Filipinos protect marriage
• How divorce harms children, families, and society
• Dr. Acosta’s powerful marriage testimony and spiritual warfare experience
• Why marriage preparation for young people is urgently needed
• How Human Life International works with legislators, clergy, and families

If you want to understand the cultural, political, and spiritual forces surrounding the divorce debate—and hear a moving firsthand story of marital healing—this episode is essential.

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Living the Culture of Life

Fr. Francesco Giordano, Regional Director for Human Life International in Europe, discusses Pope Leo XIV’s papacy, his unique background, and what his leadership could mean for the Catholic Church, life, and family in today’s divided world.

Fr. Giordano shares touching stories of his encounters with Pope Leo—both as a cardinal and as pope—and reflects on his humility, attentiveness, and deep understanding of the Church’s global mission.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Fr. Giordano’s first meeting with Pope Leo in Rome
• The importance of prudence and patience in papal leadership
• How Pope Leo bridges cultures: American, Latin American, and European
• The role of truth and faith in achieving authentic Christian unity
• The meaning of hope during a divided era in Church and society

This episode offers a rare glimpse into the spiritual insights of a priest serving at the heart of the Church. Whether you’re a Catholic seeking renewal or simply curious about the future of the papacy, Fr. Giordano’s reflections will inspire you to live out a culture of life, faith, and hope.

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Living the Culture of Life

In this powerful episode, Mario Rojas, HLI's Regional Director for Latin America, discusses a stunning real-world case of censorship and faith under fire.

Earlier this year, one of HLI's missionaries in Latin America was accused of “hate speech” simply for giving a pro-life talk on authentic sexual education — one that promotes abstinence before marriage and respect for life. Mario shares how radical feminist groups tried to silence the message, how the Church and legal experts stood firm, and how the case was ultimately dismissed.

Hear firsthand how the pro-life movement continues to grow across Latin America through missionary outreach and online education.

 @VidaHumanaInternacional  YouTube Channel: Vida Humana Internacional - YouTube

Previous Episode with Mario Rojas: Fighting LGBTQ Propaganda | Missionary Mario Rojas

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🎙️ Or listen directly on our website: Human Life International | Pro-life. Catholic. Global.

📢 Support the Mission: Give the world another pro-life leader | Human Life International

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Living the Culture of Life

In this episode, Fr. Shenan Boquet unpacks the Catholic understanding of spiritual warfare—the ongoing struggle between good and evil that every believer faces.

Drawing on Scripture, the saints, and his global pro-life mission experience, Fr. Boquet explains how the devil attacks individuals, marriages, and the Church—and how to stand firm through prayer, confession, and the Eucharist.

Key Topics:

• Definition and meaning of spiritual warfare
• Understanding temptations as spiritual attacks
• Common misconceptions about the devil
• How to recognize and resist spiritual manipulation
• Vigilance in prayer, confession, and daily virtue
• Spiritual warfare in the pro-life mission field
• Protecting your marriage, family, and home from evil
• How prayer, sacraments, and Scripture fortify believers
• Practical spiritual disciplines for daily life
• The ultimate victory of Christ over evil

Scripture passages to meditate on:

- The Apostle Paul tells us clearly in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, “Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh: (for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh.”

- Mark 5:1–20 recounts the exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac, a dramatic episode in which Jesus asserts power over a "legion" of unclean spirits.

- Luke 10:18 records Jesus’ declaration: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven,” symbolizing the eschatological victory of divine authority over evil.

- The Apostle Paul, particularly in Ephesians 6:12, frames the Christian life as an ongoing battle "not against flesh and blood" but against "spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms," providing theological scaffolding for subsequent teachings on demonic opposition.

Fr. Shenan Boquet joins us to explore St. John Paul II’s 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life). He explains why the document remains a foundational guide for the Catholic Church and the global pro-life movement 30 years later. Fr. Boquet explains how John Paul II prophetically identified modern confusion about freedom and autonomy as the roots of the “culture of death.”

Listeners will learn how Evangelium Vitae connects issues such as abortion, contraception, euthanasia, gender ideology, and human dignity under a single Catholic vision of life. The conversation also covers how to build a “culture of life” in daily practice through prayer, formation, and public witness.

• Historical context: How the 1991 Synod of Bishops led to Evangelium Vitae (1995).
• Audience: Why encyclicals are addressed to the whole Church
• Freedom and truth: John Paul II’s warning against autonomy detached from truth.
• Culture of Life vs. Culture of Death: How societies either protect or destroy human dignity.
• Abortion and Contraception: The false belief that contraception prevents abortion—and why both stem from the same mindset.
• Prophetic relevance: Connections to current issues like gender ideology, AI, and bioethics.
• Living the Gospel of Life: Practical ways Catholics can defend and witness to life today.

Evangelium Vitae text: Evangelium Vitae (25 March 1995)

Fr. Boquet's article on Evangelium Vitae: Respect Life Month 2025: The Message of Evangelium Vitae | Human Life International

Divorce remains illegal in just two countries worldwide: the Philippines and Vatican City. In this episode, Fr. Shenan Boquet explains the ongoing campaign to legalize divorce in the Philippines and why this debate goes far beyond one nation.

Discover how the breakdown of marriage affects culture, governance, and the common good—and why the state must defend the sanctity of family life.

Father Boquet explains:

• Why the Catholic Church and the Filipino people are resisting efforts to legalize divorce.
• How Western funding and cultural pressure are fueling the pro-divorce movement.
• Why the state has a moral interest in upholding marriage and protecting families.
• What happens when marriage laws collapse — from Europe to Latin America.
• The mission of the Asia-Pacific Congress for Life, Marriage, and Family (ASPAC) in defending life and family across Asia.

This conversation dives deep into how faith, culture, and governance intersect — and why the Philippines’ decision on divorce could shape the global future of family life.

Help send pro-life education to cultural leaders in Asia and Oceania! Rush your best gift here: Give the world another pro-life leader | Human Life International

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Living the Culture of Life

In this episode, we sit down with Fr. Shenan Boquet to explore the Catholic Church’s teachings on Natural Family Planning (NFP) and contraception. Building on last week’s discussion about marriage, Fr. Boquet clarifies how NFP cooperates with God’s natural design, while contraception disrupts the marital act.

Listeners will gain a deeper understanding of the moral principles, theology of the body, and practical guidance that help Catholic couples live a faithful and fruitful love.

In the first episode of this series, Father Boquet discussed the Church's teaching on marriage and responsible parenthood. NFP must be used for just/series reasons and may NOT be used selfishly (i.e. with a "contraceptive mindset."). Watch the first episode here for more information: Marriage as a Reflection of God's Love: Catholic Teaching on NFP Pt. 1

Key Topics Covered

• What is Natural Family Planning?
• Why contraception violates the unitive and procreative meanings of marital love
• How NFP differs from contraception
• The meaning of free, total, faithful, and fruitful love
• Moral decision-making and conscience formation
• What constitutes “just reasons” or “grave reasons” to postpone pregnancy
• The role of priests and pastoral guidance in family planning
• Practical Catholic resources for learning NFP

Resources Mentioned:

• Humanae Vitae by Pope St. Paul VI
• Familiaris Consortio by Pope St. John Paul II
• U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: Natural Family Planning | USCCB
• Human Life International articles on NFP: Natural Family Planning | Human Life International
• Human Life International articles on contraception: Birth Control Information: Your Comprehensive Guide
• NFP Methods: Billings Ovulation, Creighton, Marquette, Sympto-Thermal

Living the Culture of Life

#NaturalFamilyPlanning #CatholicMarriage #ProLife #FrShenanBoquet #CatholicPodcast #HumanaeVitae #LivingACultureOfLife #CatholicTeaching #NFP #MarriageAndFamily

Have you ever wondered why the Catholic Church condemns contraception? And if contracepting is immoral, why are couples allowed to use Natural Family Planning (NFP)?

This is a hot button issue for many modern Catholics. So, we've prepared a two-part series to help you understand the Catholic Church's teaching on marriage, contraception, and NFP.

In order to understand why contraception is immoral but NFP is allowed, you must first understand what the Catholic Church teaches about marriage. So, in this episode, Fr. Shenan Boquet uses Humanae Vitae, Sacred Scripture, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church to reveal marriage as a free, total, faithful, and fruitful covenant.

In the following episode, Father will return to explain what the Catholic Church teaches about contraception and NFP, building upon the themes introduced in this conversation.

Topics in this episode:

• Why marriage reflects God’s love for His people
• The 4 aspects of marriage as found in Humanae Vitae (free, total, faithful, fruitful)
• How conjugal love renews the wedding vows
• Why fruitfulness matters in God’s design
• The link between marriage and understanding God’s love

👰🤵 Whether you’re newly engaged, married for decades, or simply seeking clarity, this episode provides timeless wisdom and encouragement.

👉 Don’t miss next week’s follow-up episode, where we dive into natural family planning and the Church’s teaching on contraception.

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📢 Support HLI's mission to train pro-life leaders around the world: Give the world another pro-life leader | Human Life International

Help us proclaim the truth about life, family, and human dignity.

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Living the Culture of Life

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

02:30 What Does the Church Teach About Marriage?

05:41 Free Love

08:15 Total Love

12:14 Faithful Love

18:46 Marriage & Your Relationship with God

33:39 Why Cohabitation is Wrong

24:38 Fruitful Love

32:02 Sex Renews Marriage Vows

36:32 Types of Fruit

39:45 Our World Needs Models!

42:55 Are Catholics Called to Have as Many Children as Possible?

59:59 Send Us Your Questions!

The surrogacy industry is projected to explode from $14.95 billion in 2023 to nearly $100 billion by 2033—but at what cost to women and children?

On this episode, Fr. Shenan Boquet unpacks a groundbreaking United Nations report by Special Rapporteur Reem Alsalem, which condemns and exposes the surrogacy industry.

The report exposes how commercial and so-called “altruistic” surrogacy exploit women, commodify children, and fuel human trafficking—calling the practice a form of modern slavery and demanding a global ban.

Fr. Boquet explains:

• Why Pope Francis and the UN unexpectedly share the same urgent warning
• How surrogacy contracts violate the rights of women and children
• The hidden connection between IVF, contraception, and surrogacy
• Practical ways pro-life advocates can educate others and defend human dignity

If you’ve ever wondered how to answer tough questions about surrogacy, infertility, and the Catholic Church’s teaching on human life, this episode gives you the facts, the science, and the moral clarity.

🔗 Resources & Links

• Read the UN report on surrogacy (Reem Alsalem): Report of the Special Rapporteur

• Fr. Boquet’s Spirit & Life article: Surrogacy as Modern Slavery | Human Life International

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🎧 Listen Anywhere You Get Podcasts

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🎙️ Or listen directly on our website: https://hli.org

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Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:00 Mission Field & Fr. Marx

12:00 UN Surrogacy Report

19:00 Historical Condemnation

20:15 UN Report Background

25:45 No Right to a Child

34:15 International Issue

42:30 Rights of the Child

46:15 Different than Adoption

55:20 Solutions to Surrogacy Crisis

1:00:30 Long Term Change?

What REALLY happened when the FDA approved the abortion pill?

Obviously, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should never have approved a drug intended to kill an innocent preborn child. However, real-world data shows that the abortion pill also poses serious health risks for the mother as well.

Pro-abortion advocates claim to care about women's health. So, how did such a dangerous drug ever receive FDA approval?

Today’s episode dives into a complex and eye-opening investigation into the FDA's approval of the abortion pill combination of mifepristone (RU-486) and misoprostol. Researcher Teresa Marsano joins us to reveal how a web of politics, pharmaceutical deals, and population control strategies converged to push the drug onto the U.S. market—and ultimately around the world.

As you listen, you’ll hear how the abortion pill’s approval involved unusual regulatory shortcuts for RU486, a second drug (misoprostol) used off-label, and real-world data that paints a very different picture than what the public (and abortion-vulnerable women) have been told. Teresa also traces how U.S. government, the Population Council, and the World Health Organization viewed FDA approval as the gateway to distributing the abortion pill globally.

This conversation covers a lot of ground—history, science, law, and ethics—so keep the big picture in mind: how pressure on the FDA led to unusual regulatory practices with profound implications for women’s health and population policy.

As with all guests, Teresa Marsano's views are her own and not necessarily reflective of HLI.

Teresa's first episode on Living a Culture of Life podcast: How Abortion Pill Vendors Violate Public Health Laws | Teresa Marsano

Download your FREE eBook to find out more about the United States' depopulation agenda: Uncover the Global Depopulation Project (Funded With Your Tax Dollars!) | Human Life International

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🎙️ Or listen directly on our website: https://hli.org