The Pillar Podcast

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JD’s most American take.

Don't miss this gala, Philadelphia!

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JD and Ed deliver the promised Detroit trivia game. Pope Leo XIV kicked off his 12-day trip to South America today. JD and Ed talk about what they expect from the pope’s planned stops.

Then, the practice of publishing lists of “credibly accused” clerics is back in the news. JD and Ed talk about the practice and how it could be improved.

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JD seeks some advice.

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JD and Ed debate recent comments by Algeria’s Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco’s recent comments about the Catholic Church’s relationship with Muslim and Jewish believers.

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Ed is joined by Stephen White, executive director of the St. John Paul II National Shrine, fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, and author of ‘Red, White, Blue, and Catholic.’

The ‘Catholic vote’ has long been a reliable bellwether for U.S. elections. But the 2024 presidential election was an anomaly. Ed and Stephen talk about what might have triggered the change, and the future of the Catholic vote.

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Show notes:

The Party of Death: The Democrats, the Media, the Courts, and the Disregard for Human Life by Ramesh Ponnuru

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JD and Ed debate a coaching decision.

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JD and Ed talk about reports that AI is coming to the Archbishop Fulton Sheen Museum in Peoria, IL. Then, they talk about some news out of the Archdiocese of Detroit this week.

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Ft. Wrestling Chat.

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JD and Ed briefly recap their time at last week’s conference for the Canon Law Society of America. They talk about Pope Leo XIV’s lung cancer diagnosis and what it might mean for his pontificate. Then, they talk about Bishop Erik Varden’s essay addressing Amoris Laetitia.

Laetitiae Amor, by Bishop Erik Varden

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Pope Leo XIV, pictured on Sept. 7, 2025. Credit: © Mazur/cbcew.org.uk.

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JD is joined by Father James Martin to talk about his work with Catholics who identify as gay, his new memoir, and more.

Then, Fr. Martin plays a round of bridges ‘Yes or No?’

This conversation was recorded July 8, 2026.

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Show notes:

Work in Progress: Confessions of a busboy, dishwasher, caddy, usher, factory worker, bank teller, corporate tool, and priest by Father James Martin

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