There is increasing speculation and concern about the role of AI in the future of the arts. Surprisingly, many Christians are already embracing the use of AI to produce images of the saints. In this episode, Thomas and Susannah Black Roberts make the argument for why AI art is a contradiction in terms. It is analogous to pornography in that it scratches the itch to "create" without actually achieving the object of the desire in question. We should not use technology to replace the human specialties: "God won't accept worship that we outsource." Plus, the danger of demonic influence through AI should not be overlooked.

Susannah Black Roberts is a senior editor of Plough and has written for publications including First Things, Fare Forward, Front Porch Republic, Mere Orthodoxy, and The American Conservative.

Links

Susannah's thread on Twitter https://x.com/suzania/status/1866516737057083862

Plough Quarterly https://www.plough.com/

PloughCast 66: The Technology of Demons w/ Paul Kingsnorth https://www.plough.com/en/topics/life/technology/the-technology-of-demons

David Schaengold, "Computers Can't Do Math" https://www.plough.com/en/topics/life/technology/computers-cant-do-math

Robert Cotton, "Augustine, AI, and the Demon Heuristic" https://mereorthodoxy.com/augustine-ai-and-the-demon-heuristic

The Anchored Argosy https://argosy.substack.com/

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Fr. Uwe Michael Lang, a liturgical historian and priest of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in London, is the author of the new book A Short History of the Roman Mass, from Ignatius Press.

Topics discussed in this episode include:

• The origins of the Roman Rite and development of the Roman Eucharistic Prayer
• Problems with liturgical antiquarianism (trying to revive practices allegedly from the early Church in preference to what has been handed down continuously)
• The value of ad orientem worship
• Our current predicament of being cut off from the past/tradition

Links

Fr. Uwe Michael Lang, A Short History of the Roman Mass https://ignatius.com/a-short-history-of-the-roman-mass-shrmp/

Pope Pius XII against liturgical antiquarianism (par. 61-64) https://www.vatican.va/content/pius-xii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_20111947_mediator-dei.html

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De Maria numquam satis: Of Mary never enough. This saying of St. Bernard is echoed by many other saints. St. Anselm, for instance, says that it is impossible to determine the limits of God's grace in elevating Mary's human nature. St. Alphonsus says that if there is anything good we can say about Mary, not contrary to the teaching of the Church and having some legitimate theological basis, then we ought to say it. But some Catholics, to say nothing of Protestants, would object to this kind of Mariology. Are these mere overflows of sentimental piety, or can they be sustained as a rational approach to theology?

Fr. Charles Anthony Mary, a Franciscan Friar of the Immaculate, joins the podcast to argue for why "Marian Maximalism" is a sound theological position. The Franciscan tradition has always been particularly strong on our Lady: St. Francis, St. Bonaventure, Bl. John Duns Scotus, St. Maximilian Kolbe… Fr. Charles makes the case for "Mary-Maxing", explains some of the doctrinal and ecumenical stakes involved, and takes us through the Franciscan tradition, culminating in the cutting-edge (and controversial) Mariology of St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe.

Links

Fr. Peter Damian Fehlner, The Theologian of Auschwitz: St. Maximilian M. Kolbe on the Immaculate Conception in the Life of the Church https://www.lectiopublishing.com/books.php?b=16

Video of Fr. Peter Damian Fehlner and Mother Angelica, "Blessed Virgin Mary: Co-redemptrix, Mediatrix, and Advocate" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-p2D8Mfrqg

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In his new book, The Stigmatists: Their Gifts, Their Revelations, Their Warnings, Paul Kengor gives a historical overview of the phenomenon of the stigmata, focusing especially on one thing many stigmatists have in common: they receive visions, often prophetic ones.

The book devotes individual chapters to seven canonized or beatified stigmatists: St. Francis of Assisi, St. Catherine of Siena, Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich, St. Pius of Pietrelcina, St. Faustina, Bl. Elena Aiello, and St. Gemma Galgani.

Kengor joins the podcast to discuss the skepticism and attacks many stigmatists (such as Padre Pio) faced from within the Church, the prophecies of Bl. Elena Aiello about Mussolini's fate, whether St. Francis was the first stigmatist in history, and what we ordinary Catholics can learn from the visions and experiences of the stigmatists.

Links

Paul Kengor, The Stigmatists: Their Gifts, Their Revelations, Their Warnings https://tanbooks.com/products/books/the-stigmatists-their-gifts-their-revelations-their-warnings/

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A collection of highlight clips from past episodes.

82 A Habitual Counterculture - Brandon McGinley https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-82-habitual-counterculture-brandon-mcginley/

68 What I Learned from Making Music with Mark Christopher Brandt https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-68-what-i-learned-from-making-music-with-mark-christopher-brandt/

Vie et Passion du Christ https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/vie-et-passion-du-christ-1903/

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Catholic poet Ryan Wilson rejoins the podcast to read poems from his latest collection, In Ghostlight, which deals with themes of memory in a "haunted" world, encounters with realities beyond us, and reinterpreting ancient myths (Orpheus as a hair metal singer!). He also introduces four Catholic poets from his new anthology co-edited with April Lindner, Contemporary Catholic Poets.

Links

Ryan Wilson, In Ghostlight: Poems https://lsupress.org/9780807181478/in-ghostlight/

Contemporary Catholic Poets: An Anthology, ed. Ryan Wilson and April Lindner https://paracletepress.com/collections/coming-soon/products/contemporary-catholic-poetry

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James Majewski plays guest host in this episode, asking Thomas about his recent essay critiquing the well-known Christian film distributor Angel Studios (associated with The Chosen, Sound of Freedom, and Cabrini).

Articles and podcasts mentioned:

"Angel Studios: Questioning the hype" https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/angel-studios-hype/

"Cabrini secularizes a saint" https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/cabrini-secularizes-saint/

"Cabrini and the denial that Christ is for everyone" https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/cabrini-and-denial-that-christ-is-for-everyone/

Thomas's article on Padre Pio in Dappled Things https://www.dappledthings.org/deep-down-things/about-that-padre-pio-film

Pope Pius XII on the Ideal Film, Pt. 2 https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/pope-pius-xii-on-ideal-film-pt-2-church-teaching-on-cinema/

New Catholic Culture columnist Peter Wolfgang https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/authors.cfm?authorid=56

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Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986) was one of the greatest sacred composers of the 20th century, best known for his Requiem and his motet "Ubi caritas". His lush and tranquil choral and organ works combine a deep familiarity with Gregorian chant with the style of impressionism, imbued with a sense of prayer as he was a devout Catholic.

Organist and choirmaster Christopher Berry, who studied organ under Duruflé's widow, Marie-Madeleine Duruflé, joins the podcast to discuss Maurice Duruflé in his historical context as someone who, from childhood, was schooled in the Church's ancient chant tradition, and as an adult applied Pope St. Pius X's instructions for sacred music which were so influential on that generation. Schooled at the Paris conservatory, Duruflé received rigorous training in improvisation, which was the core skill for French organists at that time. His approach to improvising on chant and hymn melodies can still be heard in Catholic churches today.

Links

Catholic Institute of Sacred Music https://catholicinstituteofsacredmusic.org/

Music heard in this episode:

Excerpts from the Requiem—courtesy of Voices of Ascension https://www.amazon.com/Durufle-Album-Requiem-Messe-Jubilo/dp/B0000006ZS

(See their upcoming performance season at www.VoicesofAscension.org)

Prélude et fugue sur le nom d'Alain op. 7 - played by Marie-Madeleine Duruflé

Excerpt from Choral varié sur le Veni Creator op.4 - played by Maurice Duruflé himself https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SBCDScgqsQ

Ubi caritas - by Choir of St. John's Elora

Tantum ergo - by St. John's College Choir

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A collection of highlight clips from past episodes.

77 Gene Wolfe, Catholic Sci-Fi Legend—Sandra Miesel, Fr. Brendon Laroche

https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-77-gene-wolfe-catholic-sci-fi-legend-sandra-miesel-fr-brendon-laroche/

Ben-Hur w/ Elizabeth Lev (Criteria: The Catholic Film Podcast)

https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ben-hur-1959-w-elizabeth-lev/

80 Bring Out Your Dead - Scott Hahn

https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-80-bring-out-your-dead-scott-hahn/

81 Love Like a Conflagration - Jane Greer

https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-81-love-like-conflagration-jane-greer/

126 How Charlie Parker Changed My Life

https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/126-how-charlie-parker-changed-my-life/

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In his new book published by Word on Fire, Beauty & Imitation: A Philosophical Reflection on the Arts, philosopher and novelist Daniel McInerny argues for a recovery of the Aristotelian understanding of art as fundamentally imitative or mimetic. More boldly, he claims that this imitation is narrative and moral in nature, even in art forms that are not typically considered storytelling arts.

In this episode Daniel introduces this theory of mimesis, after which there is a robust back-and-forth between Daniel and Thomas on whether moral narrative is really the primary purpose of arts like painting and music.

Links

Beauty & Imitation: A Philosophical Reflection on the Arts https://bookstore.wordonfire.org/products/beauty-and-imitation

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