The Byzantine empire was consumed by the conflict over the use of images in Christian worship, but how serious was it within the Byzantine Church, and how important was the role of the papacy in preserving the Traditon of venerating images which the iconoslasts wanted to destroy?

Continuin to answer Judy's question about the style of religious painting suitable for veneration in a Catholic Church, we dive into the 7th Ecumenical Council and the civl war that rocked the Byzantine empire over the question of images in the Church.

Icons are part of Orthodoxy's DNA, but what about icons in the Catholic Church? A quick start to our new series exploring the limits for painting icons in the Catholic Church.

Do we 'write' icons? Many people in the Anglosphere make a special point of distinguishing how icons are made by refusing to say 'paint' and insisting on using the word 'write'.

But is this correct?

Here two of the world's leading iconographers, Orthodox George Kordis from Greece and Catholic Ivan Polverari from Italy, join Ian to delve into the real issues behind the controversy...

This exchange, which is an extract from a much longer conversation recorded in 2021 (you can watch in full here: https://youtu.be/S-zX0osYW5o) is a great way to get this new podcast off the ground, and set the scene for the approach we will be taking in future episodes!