Angelicum Conversations

In this episode of Angelicum Conversations, Fr. Thomas Joseph White, O.P. speaks with Fr. Michael Sherwin, O.P. about the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence and the enduring questions surrounding natural rights, democracy, religious freedom, and the common good. Beginning with the famous words, “We hold these truths to be self-evident,” the discussion explores whether th...

In this episode of Angelicum Conversations, Fr. Adrian Patrick McCaffery, O.P. speaks with Fr. Philip-Neri Reese, O.P. about his new book: "Aquinas on Metaphysics as a Science".As we trace the history of metaphysics, beginning with Aristotle and engaging with Hume's famous challenge that scholastic metaphysics deserves to be committed to the flames as well as with contemporary though...

In this episode of Angelicum Conversations, Fr. Thomas Joseph White speaks with Fr. Simon Gaine about the latest document from the International Theological Commission, "Quo Vadis Humanitas?" (Where Are You Going, Humanity?). Drawing on theological anthropology, the conversation explores the future of the human race in the face of rapid technological shifts. Can science really offer us i...

In this episode of Angelicum Conversations, Fr. Philip-Neri speaks with Professor Thérèse Cory of the University of Notre Dame about Aquinas’s understanding of the verbum mentis, or “mental word.” What is a thought for Aquinas? Is the mind directed toward the world through an inner mental object—or is thinking better understood as a natural perfection of the intellect itself? Drawing on medieval p...

In this episode of Angelicum Conversations, Fr. Thomas Joseph White speaks with Fr. Michael Sherwin about the moral and spiritual crisis of modern culture—what they describe as a “Nietzschean wasteland.” Drawing on the thought of Friedrich Nietzsche, Elizabeth Anscombe, Alasdair MacIntyre, and St. Thomas Aquinas, the conversation explores a central question of our time: If belief in God fades, can...

Is the moral life more like jazz improvisation or following orders? In this episode of Angelicum Conversations, Fr. Thomas Joseph White, O.P., speaks with Fr. Wojciech Giertych, O.P.—Theologian of the Papal Household and Professor of Moral Theology at the Angelicum—about the renewal of Catholic moral theology in the Thomistic tradition. Moving beyond a rule-centered or prohibition-focused approach...

What is philosophy for? Should it simply describe the world as we find it, clarifying our concepts and leaving everything as it is? Or should it unsettle our assumptions, revise our thinking, and aim to change the world? In this episode of Angelicum Conversations, Fr. Adrian McCaffery, O.P., speaks with Professor John Haldane about what he calls philosophy’s via media—a path between quietism and a...

In this episode of Angelicum Conversations, Fr. Philip-Neri Reese speaks with Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P., about the place of natural rights within Catholic social teaching. Drawing on Fr. Gregory’s Dies Academicus lecture at the Angelicum, the conversation explores why “rights talk” has fallen on hard times, how natural rights emerged in the Catholic tradition, and whether they are worth recovering to...

As the Church marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea (325–2025), Fr. Thomas Joseph White, O.P., Rector of the Angelicum, speaks with Prof. Lewis Ayres, one of the world’s leading experts on early Christian theology, about the enduring significance of Nicaea. They discuss what the Council achieved, how its vision of Christ and the Trinity continues to shape Christian faith today, its...

In this inaugural episode of Angelicum Conversations, Prof. Andrew Meszaros joins Fr. Thomas Joseph White, O.P., to discuss the enduring importance of St. John Henry Newman. This summer, Pope Leo XIV announced that he would declare Newman a Doctor of the Church—a recognition that highlights Newman’s influence on theology, education, and the life of the Church in the modern era. Prof. Meszaros, the...