Twenty-five years ago, Shannon Vavich heard someone say, “It will all be better when there’s a Catholic king.” At the time, it sounded like fringe fantasy. But today, she sees that same dream resurfacing in the far-right Catholic movement, Project 2025, and a growing push toward theocracy. In this episode, Shannon—a progressive Catholic and outspoken critic of far-right groups—joins us to talk about how authoritarian ideals are quietly gaining ground under the guise of faith.

From her time inside Opus Dei circles in North Carolina to raising seven children outside of purity culture, Shannon shares how monarchy, gender roles, and natalist ideology are being used to control families and communities. We talk about what it takes to resist these forces—and why rejecting Catholic extremism is not a rejection of faith, but a defense of it.