The Pillar Podcast

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. This episode of The Pillar Podcast is brought to you by The Pillar’s paying subscribers. If that’s you, thank you! If you’d like to subscribe, visit pillarcatholic.com/subscribe ....

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.pillarcatholic.com Many choices are being made. Are you a paying subscriber? * Visit pillarcatholic.com/listen on your phone * Check the top right corner of the webpage to ensure you are logged into your Substack account. * Tap ‘set up podcast’ next to The Pillar Podcast Having issues? Email our producer Kate at kolivera@pillarcatho...

Ed’s choice of news this week! He and JD talk about a curial snub and Pope Leo XIV’s meeting to mark the 10th anniversary of Amoris laetitia . Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Credit: Claude Truong-Ngoc/wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 This episode is brought to you by Annunicate – helping ministries, publishers, and creators launch their own fully branded app, without the pitfalls of Big Tech. You don’t need a de...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.pillarcatholic.com They got the hats, at least! Are you a paying subscriber? * Visit pillarcatholic.com/listen on your phone * Check the top right corner of the webpage to ensure you are logged into your Substack account. * Tap ‘set up podcast’ next to The Pillar Podcast Having issues? Email our producer Kate at kolivera@pillarcatho...

JD and Ed talk about the final report issued by the Vatican’s synod on synodality’s commission charged with suggesting changes to the Code of Canon Law, and why they think Pope Leo XIV needs to respond. Then, they look ahead to Leo’s planned meeting on Amoris laetitia with the heads of international bishops’ conferences. This episode of the Pillar Podcast is brought to you by the Catholic Educatio...

JD Flynn is joined by Bishop William Wack, CSC, of Pensacola–Tallahassee to talk about his experience serving in prison ministry and common catalysts for conversion for the incarcerated. Then, Bishop Wack weighs JD and Ed’s idea for a personal ordinariate for prison ministry. This episode is brought to you by Anchor Consulting, helping parish and diocesan leaders move from managing decline to maki...

JD and Ed are St. Louis this week for the beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. A very special thank you to our guest producer Kyle Heimann. This episode of the Pillar Podcast is brought to you by the Catholic Education Fund, an initiative of Aequitas Education in partnership with ACE Scholarships. To learn more, visit catholiceducationfund.org This is a public episode. If you'd like to dis...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.pillarcatholic.com What would you do? Are you a paying subscriber? * Visit pillarcatholic.com/listen on your phone * Check the top right corner of the webpage to ensure you are logged into your Substack account. * Tap ‘set up podcast’ next to The Pillar Podcast Having issues? Email our producer Kate at kolivera@pillarcatholic.com

JD and Ed speculate what could be on the horizon for the Diocese of Steubenville. This episode of the Pillar Podcast is brought to you by the Pillar’s exclusive breviary partner, Ascension Press, publisher of the new translation of the Liturgy of the Hours. With exceptional readability and top-of-the-line materials, this is a breviary that will faithfully serve the Church’s daily prayer for genera...

Ed is joined by Aaron Dominguez, Ph. D., a particle physicist and former provost at The Catholic University of America. Aaron talks about his time at the CERN laboratory and fields Ed’s questions about the relationship between faith and science, dark matter, and extraterrestrial life. This conversation was recorded before Dominguez left his role as provost in August 2026. This episode is brought t...

Summer’s over in Rome! Ed is joined by Pillar Rome correspondent Edgar Beltrán to talk about the papal appointments that may be in the pipeline. This episode is brought to you by the University of Mary and its accredited online MBA, a Newman Guide–recommended program that forms business leaders of character. Learn more at pillar.umary.edu . This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this w...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.pillarcatholic.com Ed recaps the FBI memo about “radical traditionalist Catholics.” Are you a paying subscriber? * Visit pillarcatholic.com/listen on your phone * Check the top right corner of the webpage to ensure you are logged into your Substack account. * Tap ‘set up podcast’ next to The Pillar Podcast Having issues? Email our p...

JD and Ed get sucked into some Little League chat. Then, Pope Leo XIV is widely expected to name some new cardinals in the coming weeks. JD and Ed debate Pope Leo’s most likely and least likely picks. Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel. Credit: Vatican Media. This episode is brought to you by the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, which leads the nation in the number of graduate programs r...

Luke is joined by Dr. Sebastian Ostritsch to talk about the development of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, its formal condemnation in 2024 by the German bishops’ conference, and expectations ahead of elections in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt . German bishops pictured during their Sept. 23-26, 2024, plenary meeting in Fulda. © Deutsche Bischofskonferenz/Marko Orlovic. This episode is...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.pillarcatholic.com Ed is so happy! Are you a paying subscriber? * Visit pillarcatholic.com/listen on your phone * Check the top right corner of the webpage to ensure you are logged into your Substack account. * Tap ‘set up podcast’ next to The Pillar Podcast Having issues? Email our producer Kate at kolivera@pillarcatholic.com

Chaldean Bishop Emanuel Shaleta rejects a plea deal . Pope Leo asks the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes to cover its Rupnik mosaics. Then, Ed unpacks Russia’s misinformation campaign this week against the Holy See. JD plays a round of Russia ‘Greater or Lesser?’ Photo- Bishop Emanuel Shaleta. Credit: Chaldean Eparchy of Saint Peter the Apostle of San Diego. This episode is brought to you by the U...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.pillarcatholic.com Some good news for Pillar reader (in a good way) Trevor Williams. Are you a paying subscriber? * Visit pillarcatholic.com/listen on your phone * Check the top right corner of the webpage to ensure you are logged into your Substack account. * Tap ‘set up podcast’ next to The Pillar Podcast Having issues? Email our...

JD asks what the evolution of artificial intelligence demands of canon law? This episode is brought to you by the University of Mary, one of the nation’s most affordable and serious Catholic universities, offering flexible online graduate programs built for working adults. Learn more at pillar.umary.edu This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to...

Ed is joined by Lord David Frost, CMG, to talk about his decision to become Catholic and his role as an non-affiliated member of the House of Lords. This episode of The Pillar Podcast is brought to you by FUSIONISM, a new book by Catholic journalist and Pillar reader (in a good way) Stephanie Slade. FUSIONISM is now available for pre-order from University of Notre Dame Press here: undpress.nd.edu/...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.pillarcatholic.com Sometimes a whale is just a whale. Are you a paying subscriber? * Visit pillarcatholic.com/listen on your phone * Check the top right corner of the webpage to ensure you are logged into your Substack account. * Tap ‘set up podcast’ next to The Pillar Podcast Having issues? Email our producer Kate at kolivera@pilla...

This week, Australian Bishop Christopher Saunders was convicted of sexual abuse and English Bishop David Oakley had a preliminary hearing in his trial related to sexual abuse. JD and Ed talk about the cases and why Pope Leo hasn’t removed Oakley from his position. This episode is brought to you by the University of Mary, a Newman Guide–recommended Catholic university in Bismarck, North Dakota, off...

JD and Ed talk about two big pieces of news from while Ed was on vacation. JD talks about the bankruptcy case in the Diocese of Burlington, Vermont, that has caught his attention. Then, Ed plays a round of papal travel trivia. This episode is brought to you by Christendom College Graduate School of Theology, where the Sacred Science is pursued with uncompromising fidelity to the Magisterium of the...

We all missed Ed. Bonus episodes of The Pillar Podcast are typically available only to paying Pillar subscribers. Subscribe today so you never miss one. Already a paying subscriber? * Visit pillarcatholic.com/listen on your phone * Check the top right corner of the webpage to ensure you are logged into your Substack account. * Tap ‘set up podcast’ next to The Pillar Podcast Having issues? Email ou...

JD is joined by Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, MN., to talk about the planning and impact of the National Eucharistic Congress two years later. This episode is brought to you by St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry, hosting a conference this October on the life and thought of soon-to-be Blessed Archbishop Fulton Sheen. You can join in-person or virtually. Learn more at stbernards.edu...

We will be back next week with our regular Friday episode and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pillarcatholic.com/subscribe