Kresta in the Afternoon

“At the heart of liberty is the right to define one's own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life." So said Justice Anthony Kennedy in the 1992 Supreme Court case Planned Parenthood v Casey. This viewpoint that defines humans by their capacity to choose is pervasive in American law and policy, but it disregards a stubborn fact - we are naturally limited...

Al shares how a Nathaniel Hawthorne short story relates to our Catholic faith.

This week we've been broadcasting and speaking from Boyne, Michigan, where we have met with several students in the FOCUS Summer Program. We'll talk with a Focus Missionary, Megan Ferowich, about the work FOCUS is doing. Megan Ferowich is training to be a FOCUS missionary. Learn more about their work at FOCUS.org and on Facebook and Twitter by searching for FOCUS Catholic.

We've talked before about how young Americans have shown increasing support for the idea of "socialism," likely associating it with something like European social democracy. Making a case against socialism means formulating arguments that are not just based on material grounds, but on moral grounds. Sam Gregg joins us. Sam Gregg is director of research at the Acton Institute. He’s the author of se...

More than 100 people have been arrested following massive protests that broke out in Cuba on Sunday, the largest demonstrations that ever occurred in more than 60 years of Communist rule. Alejandro Bermudez tells us what's going on in Cuba and also has details on the assassination of Haiti's president. Alejandro Bermudez is the Executive Director of ACI Prensa, the sister agency of Catholic News A...

Pope Francis has appointed Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich as the Realtor General for the 2023 Synod of Bishops on Synodality. The 62-year-old archbishop of Luxembourg has expressed his support for Germany's Synodal Path and advocates greater lay and youth involvement in the Church. We'll take a look with Matthew Bunson.  Also its the feast of St. Kateri Tekakwitha. Matthew Bunson is Executive...

We all know someone who is battling addiction and recent studies have shown alcohol abuse has risen over the last year as people try to cope with the stress and isolation brought on by the pandemic. Addiction attacks the mind, the body and the spirit, and all three areas must be addressed to get help. We’ll look at a pastoral approach to addictions with Fr Anthony Pinizzotto. Fr. Anthony J. Pinizz...

What has the Christian faith inherited from the philosphy of Plato?  Quite a lot actually as Dr. Louis Markos explains.  His new book, From Plato to Christ: How Platonic Thought Shaped the Christian Faith , explores how Plato influenced St. Augustine and how Plato's student, Aristotle, influenced St. Thomas Aquinas.

Al explores a common Protestant idea: sola scriptura (scripture alone).  Does this idea makes sense?  And is it what the early Church actually practiced?

Br. Guy Consolmagno was once asked if he would baptize an extra-terrestrial in a radio interview.  He responded, "only if she asked."  Br. Guy works with Fr. Paul Mueller SJ, superior of the Jesuit community that oversees the Vatican Observator, joins Al to discuss this, the relationship between faith and science, and how humans fit into the grand scheme of creation.

Former president Donald Trump was the keynote speaker at this year's CPAC 2021 conference in Texas.  Deal Hudson, author of 365 Days of Catholic Wisdom: A Treasury of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness, was a panel moderator and joins Al to discuss the forty-fifth president and his speech.

When we talk of America's founding, we typically look to the East coast, where we find the Revolutionary battlefields and the buildings where the American government was born. But there's another set of Founding Fathers in the West who are often overlooked. Led by Fr Junipero Serra, they laid the foundation for much of Western America. On St. Serra's Feast Day, we talk with Patrick Laurence. Patri...

After 23 years in the Archdiocese of Dijon, in eastern France, the priests of the Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) will be dismissed at the end of summer. Matthew Bunson explains what's going on in this story. Matthew Bunson is Executive Editor and Washington Bureau Chief for EWTN News and a Senior Fellow at St Paul Center for Biblical Theology. He’s the author or co-author of more than 50 books inc...

Richard Hutchinson came into the world four months premature, weighing less than one pound and small enough to fit into the palm of your hand. He just celebrated his first birthday, is learning how to crawl, and has been recognized as the most premature baby to survive. His mother Elizabeth joins us to share the family’s story. Elizabeth Hutchinson is the mother of Richard Hutchinson, who was born...

The Democratic Party was once the home of most American Catholics, especially in the working class. But over the last 40 years, the Party's wholehearted embrace - and now championing - of values antithetical to Church teaching leaves Catholics in a difficult spot. As a pro-life, Catholic member of Congress, Dan Lipinksi had to work through these issues. He joins us. Dan Lipinski is a former Congre...

Yesterday, Bill Cosby's sexual assault conviction was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.  In this type of situation though, where everyone knows what happened, nobody wins.

The narrative of the so-called “Great Apostasy” goes like this: just a few centuries after Christ’s death, around the time the Roman Empire converted to Christianity, the true Faith suffered a catastrophic falling-away. The simple truths of the gospel became so obscured by worldliness and pagan idolatry that Christianity required a complete reboot. Millions today profess a faith built on the assum...

Yesterday we celebrated the feast of Peter, our first Pope. In many ways the papacy is Catholicism's defining doctrine but also its most divisive. From medieval pontiffs who acted like princes to a modern pope whose every casual statement sets off a social-media firestorm, there has been plenty for non-Catholics to criticize and for the faithful to feel anxious about. How can we strengthen our bel...

A new study from Pew reveals something that shouldn't surprise anyone - acceptance for cohabitation, even for couples who don't plan to get married, is at an all-time high. The practice is widely accepted among self-identified Catholics; nearly three-quarters of those surveyed said they don't have a problem with it. What is the pastoral approach to this matter? We talk with Greg Popcak. Dr. Gregor...

Before his radical conversion experience on the road to Damascus, St Paul - then known as Saul - was a strict follower of the Jewish faith. How did he view his Judaism after he became a follower of Christ? Brant Pitre joins us. Brant Pitre is Distinguished Research Professor of Sacred Scripture at the Augustine Institute Graduate School of Theology and the author of many books, including Paul, a N...

After the Jacob Blake shooting last summer, we spoke with his mother’s pastor, James Ward, who is becoming an important voice for greater racial justice and healing. As he has pointed out, we have a “sin problem, not a skin problem,” that stops us from achieving peace. He joins Al again to discuss his work and what it means to have a “zero victim” mentality. James Ward is a pastor, author, and ent...

After 9/11 a new wave of combative atheism emerged, claiming to have a more enlightened and accurate worldview than that of historic Christianity. How do we respond to these claims? We put atheism on trial with Louis Markos. Louis Markos is the author most recently of Atheism on Trial: Refuting the Modern Arguments against God . He's a professor of English and scholar in residence at Houston Bapti...

Catholic schools across the country worked hard to keep their doors open this past academic year, even as many public schools remained closed. But now, with the coronavirus pandemic in retreat and nearly all schools returning to in-person classes this fall, a dozen Catholic dioceses across the U.S. are launching permanent online schools. Lytia Reese, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Dioc...

Pope Francis held a private audience with German Bishop Georg Batzing this morning. Immediately afterward, the German bishop's conference issued a statement saying the Pope has "encouraged us to continue on the synodal path we have chosen, to discuss the questions openly and honestly, and to come to recommendations for a change in the way the Church operates." Matthew Bunson has the details on thi...

Time is running out and cabins are filling fast for the 2022 Good News Marriage Cruise. On July 1, unsold cabins will be reverted to Royal Caribbean and subsequent bookings will be much harder to get. Don’t miss your chance to join Al, Teresa, Dr Ray, their spouses and many more on the Cruise! David DiFranco explains how.