Kresta in the Afternoon

As we come up on the feast of Corpus Christi, EWTN is looking at the life of the only beatified millennial in the Church: Carlo Acutis. Corinna Turner, author of The Boy Who Knew: Carlo Acutis, joins Al from London to talk about his life. You can find all of the books, articles, and guests featured on today's program online at AveMariaRadio.net Like us on Facebook! Leave us a review and give us fi...

On Tuesday, 1 June, Pope Francis released a heavily revised edition of Book VI of the Code of Canon Law. Ed. Condon, a licensed canon lawyer and co-founder of The Pillar, joins Al to talk about the changes in the law and other news items they’re following at the Pillar. You can find all of the books, articles, and guests featured on today's program online at AveMariaRadio.net Like us on Facebook!...

Chai Ling was a key student leader in the 1989 Tiananmen Square movement. She is now the founder of All Girls Allowed, an organization dedicated to restoring life, value, and dignity to girls and mothers and revealing the injustice of China’s one-child policy. For her work she has been nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize. She joins Al to talk about what happened on that day, more than 30 yea...

Ernst Lohmeyer was a German theologian who served active duty in both World War I and World War II and resisted the rise of Nazi fascism as a member of the Confessing Church. But just a few years later he found himself resisting Soviet occupation; he was soon imprisoned, where he spent the rest of his life. James Edwards shares the story of this man who spent his life between the Swastika and the...

Christology is the study of who Christ is, but often times modern Christologies are composed without a deeper attention to traditional metaphysics: the classical philosophical understanding of reality that comes to us from Aristotle and Aquinas. Al talks with fr. Thomas Joseph White from the Dominican House of Studies about the mystery of the Incarnation and God becoming Man.

June 6 is the anniversary of the Normandy Invasions, one of the most important battles of the century. The invasion was led by Supreme Allied Commander Eisenhower, who would later go on to the White House. While there have been many biographies of Eisenhower's military and political career, none have looked deeply at the role his faith played in both his personal and public life - despite the fact...

Carlo Acutis is the Church’s first millennial saint. He died of leukemia at the age of fifteen. He was an amateur computer programmer who made a website documenting Eucharistic miracles of the world. EWTN’s COO Doug Keck joins Al to discuss Blessed Carlo Acutis and EWTN’s special programming featuring him this week. You can find all of the books, articles, and guests featured on today's program on...

June 1st is the memorial of St. Justin Martyr, the patron of philosophers. But the Mass reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians seems to say that the wisdom of man is folly! How do we connect the two? Al looks at what true wisdom actually is. (Hint: It’s found in Christ) You can find all of the books, articles, and guests featured on today's program online at AveMariaRadio.net Like us on...

For a while, Facebook was removing posts that claimed that COVID-19 came from a lab in Wuhan, China. A few weeks ago, it reversed course. Why? As it turns out there is not real evidence that the virus developed naturally. Is there evidence that it came from the Wuhan Institute of Virology? Nicholas Wade, writer for Science Magazine, Nature, and the New York Times, joins Al to discuss the origins o...

The Washington Post has recently reported on the rise of anti-Semitic attacks in the United States. What is driving the increase in these attacks? Joseph Loconte from the Heritage Foundation joins Al to discuss this. You can find all of the books, articles, and guests featured on today's program online at AveMariaRadio.net Like us on Facebook! Leave us a review and give us five stars so more peopl...

Memorial Day is Monday and for us Catholics it is also the Feast of the Visitation to the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is where Mary is also called the Ark of the Covenant because she carried God within her own body, not unlike the Ark of the Covenant that contained the 10 Commandments and was carried into battle by the Israelites. Steve Ray joins Al and discusses this typology to describe the Blesse...

As the world gears up for Pope Francis’ Synod on Syondality, it has left many Catholics wondering, “is this an attempted to democratize doctrine?” Dr. Matthew Bunson, executive editor and Washington bureau chief of EWTN News, joins Al to discuss the upcoming synod. Plus, sixty-seven bishops signed a letter to Archbishop José Gómez, requesting that he halt a discussion on Eucharistic coherence at t...

Al comments on the Church in Germany and the Synod on Synodality (#Synodception) which, in a sense, is seeking to move the authority of the bishops to the laity. This, however, democratizes the Church and negates the reason for the Church entirely! The Church has always had authority and must stay that way. You can find all of the books, articles, and guests featured on today's program online at A...

Cardinal George Pell was falsely accused, tried, and convicted of molesting two choir boys after Mass. One of the accusers changed his story twenty-four times and the case was so weak it was later thrown out by the Australian High Court. The case was only thrown out, however, after Cardinal Pell spent more than 400 days in prison. During that time he kept a journal, volume two of which is availabl...

Abu Atallah was a high school student living in Cairo when his best friend joined the Muslim Brotherhood. Abu decided to follow suit in the hopes that Allah would reward him with the grades he needed to qualify for Cairo University. For him, it wasn’t a religiously significant event – he just wanted to be with his friend. One day, he saw a Muslim Brother screaming at a Christian classmate. This wa...

The first Star Wars film hit theaters on May 25, 1977, and immediately became a cultural phenomenon. More than forty years later, it still matters. Even the most passionate fans have to admit the films are artistically flawed, but the franchise's impact on Hollywood and American pop culture has been incalculable. Al Kresta talk with Steven Greydanus about this American mythology and why Star Wars...

Cardinal George Pell was falsely accused, tried, and convicted of molesting two choir boys after a Sunday Mass at the Cathedral in his early days as Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne.  In 2020, the Australian High Court unanimously overturned the conviction because of a significant lack of evidence in the case.  Cardinal Pell's accuser changed his story 24 times and the prosecution had no cl...

Tim Kaine recently wrote an essay jumping into the debate about Biden, the bishops, and the Eucharist. He is of the belief that President Biden should not be denied the Eucharist. Senator Kaine, however, made several theological errors in his reasoning. Dr. Monica Miller from Citizens for Pro-Life Society joins Al Kresta to discuss his essay and correct his errors. You can find all of the books, a...

This year is the 500th anniversary of St. Ignatius of Loyola’s conversion. St. Ignatius of Loyola founded the Jesuits, also known as the Society of Jesus, and they spread throughout the world running everything from hospitals to universities. Pope Francis is a Jesuit and there are even some prominent Jesuits on Catholic Radio! One of them is Fr. Mitch Pacwa, host of EWTN Live on EWTN TV and Radio...

As states debate whether to continue the distribution of unemployment benefits as the COVID-19 pandemic wanes, many have raised the question that the benefits are so generous they incentivize people not to work. Former economic advisor to President Donald Trump and host of Kudlow on FOX Business Network, Larry Kudlow, joins Al Kresta to discuss this. You can find all of the books, articles, and gu...

Al once heard a theologian say he didn’t like Pentecost because he thought it negated the Ascension! While it didn’t negate the Ascension, it did represent God returning to Earth in a real way. Al shares his thoughts on his favorite liturgical feast day and what it means for Christians in the 21st century. You can find all of the books, articles, and guests featured on today's program online at Av...

In addition to the rocket attacks between the terrorist group Hamas in Gaza and Israel, there have been internal conflicts brewing in Israel between Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs. Steve Ray, a pilgrimage leader who has been to the Holy Land over 180 times, joins Al to discuss the cultural differences. You can find all of the books, articles, and guests featured on today's program online at AveMar...

Hong Kong has been without an bishop since 2019 and finally Pope Francis has announced his new pick. Dr. Matthew Bunson, executive editor and Washington bureau chief for EWTN News, joins Al to discuss Bishop-elect Stephen Chow Sau-yan, SJand more church news. You can find all of the books, articles, and guests featured on today's program online at AveMariaRadio.net Like us on Facebook! Leave us a...

Peter Herbeck, vice-president of Renewal Ministries and host of Fire on the Earth with Peter Herbeck , joins Al to talk about the life of St. Bernadine of Siena who wrote at great lengths of God’s judgment. Why does a good God who loves have to bring judgment and punishment? Is it just? Peter and Al explore this. You can find all of the books, articles, and guests featured on today's program onlin...

Al shares his thoughts on one of the most consequential Supreme Court cases of American history: Plessy v. Ferguson, the case that ended segregation. Did you know Justice Harlan, the lead dissenter, was a committed Christian? He believed that segregation had no place in the Constitution. You can find all of the books, articles, and guests featured on today's program online at AveMariaRadio.net Lik...