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Today we remember the execution on Feb 6 1927 in Mexico of a priest Fr Matteo Correa Magallenes.  Exploring the Cristero War in Mexico and the involvement of the US.

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Today in 1597 we go to Nagasaki where 26 Christians were crucified, part of a long persecution against the Church.  Forced underground, the 'Kakure Kirishitan' the hidden Christians of Japan developed an ingenious way of keeping the faith alive. Their story has been powerfully told by Shunsako Endo and most recently Martin Scorsese in the film 'Silence' 

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Today we remember how the Mormons left their Wintering Grounds in 1846 for the last part of their journey to establish the state of Utah. They received directions from an unlikely source....

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Today in 1468, Johannes Guttenberg invented a process for mass-producing movable type; mechanising the process, using adjustable moulds and oil-based ink for printing books. This was an epoch changing invention, changing mass communication for ever. We look at its impact and who used it

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Today's celebration of Candlemas is marked in different ways around the world.  We look at the origins in scripture, in pre-Christian Roman practices, and how it is remembered from Mexico to France

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Today in 1516 Erasmus dedicated his amendment to St Jerome's New Testament to Pope Leo X.  A great achievement by this 'Prince of Humanists', did it unwittingly trigger the reformation?  We look today at the history of Biblical Translation and how Erasmus' work became influential 

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Today in 1867,  the Maronite Nationalist Leader Karam was sent into exile by the French. We look at the long fight for Lebanese independence, and today we look at St Maron, the church in Lebanon and its struggle for recognition, 

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Today in  1661, Oliver Cromwell's dead body was exhumed and beheaded in revenge for his execution of King Charles I on Jan 30 in 1649.  We look at how Cromwells puritanism motivated him, his disputed legacy, and Englands brief experiment with republicanism 

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Today we look at the life of Katarina Von Bora, who after a daring escape from a convent, married Martin Luther, had 6 children and ran many successful enterprises. We also take a tentative look at her influence on her husband. 

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Todays pod looks at the incredible story of the walk to Canossa, where in the dead of winter, Henry IV crossed the Alps by foot in a penitential act. Today Pope Gregory VII lifted his excommunication.