Kresta in the Afternoon

This week, Mark Houck was acquitted of his charges of violating the FACE Act. But the FACE Act doesn’t just protect abortion clinics – it applies to all types of pregnancy centers. And on January 24 two Florida residents were charged with violating the FACE Act after they vandalized a local pregnancy resource center. Further research suggests they are liked with Antifa. We learn more with Kyle Shi...

Recently, the mainstream press butchered its coverage of an extensive interview between AP reporter Nichole Winfield and Pope Francis. Why do so many mainstream outlets do a lousy job of reporting on religious issues? Al discusses.

The late 18th century saw revolutions in France and in what would become the United States. These revolutions produced societies with very different understandings of liberty and democracy. John Pinheiro joins us as we look to Leo XIII’s writings for insights on democracy, freedom and virtue.

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple. For the Hebrew people, the temple was the center of the universe. God revealed Himself through the temple, the priesthood and the covenants. Steven Smith takes us on a deep dive through the Old and New Testaments, exploring the priesthood and God’s covenant with His people.

At first glance, Archbishop Fulton Sheen, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and Rev. Jerry Falwell don’t seem to have much in common – but you might be surprised. They were dominant religious figures in different eras of the 20th century and used contemporary media to great effect as they tried to change how Americans understood the nature and purpose of their country and the relationship between religion...

You can’t have a kingdom of God without citizens. The whole process of discipleship is to render us fit to be disciples of that kingdom. Al takes a look.

A slogan over the doors to a Catholic school in Manhattan bear the words Venite Adoremus Dominum – “Come Let us Adore the Lord.” While this may seem like a slogan better placed in a Church, it in fact captures the very essence of Catholic education. As we celebrate Catholic Schools Week we talk with David Bonagura.

Paragraph 1131 of the Catechism defines the sacraments as efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us.” Finding a metaphor to illustrate this definition can be challenging. David Fagerberg joins us to help understand what the sacraments really are.

Over the last couple weeks, there have been two stories related to LGBT issues in America whose coverage in the press has been telling. One is Pope Francis’ comments to the AP about homosexuality, and the other is the decision by Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov to not participate in his team’s Pride Night. We’ll get some analysis from Terry Mattingly.

A new A.I. Chatbot program called ChatGPT is taking the internet by storm. Users claim it can pass graduate-level tests in business and law programs and some real estate agents say they can’t imagine working without it. What is ChatGPT? What are its possibilities and limits? We “chat” with Jason Thacker.

Last week we commemorated the 50th anniversary of Roe vs Wade. Along with the 1857 Dred Scott ruling, it’s often cited by legal scholars as one of the worst decisions in the history of the Court. What other cases would make the list? John Czarnetzky joins us.

Pro-life activist Mark Houck was found not guilty Monday on federal assault charges stemming from a shoving incident outside a Philadelphia abortion clinic. We’ll talk about the story with Monica Miller, who also invites you to a protest against pharmacies that will begin distributing the abortion pill.

Darrick Taylor is an adult convert to Catholicism who was not raised in a religious home. As a student of history, he was intrigued by Martin Luther’s quest to find the certainty of his own salvation. It was this study that eventually led Darrick to consider the Catholic Church. He shares his story with us.

Yesterday President Biden claimed that some bishops, as well as Pope Francis, support taxpayer-funded abortions. Also, a new report finds that the late Jean Vanier abused dozens of women under his care, a secret that was known by many. What do these stories have to do with the murder of Tyre Nichols? In all cases, the figurative emperor had no clothes, but nobody would state the obvious. Al discus...

Today we celebrate the Feast of St. John Bosco. As a child, he had a deep love for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and this continued into his priesthood. What can he teach us today? We talk with Fr. Charlie Lana.

This January marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of a great Catholic mind who has sadly been all but forgotten in modern times. Charles Péguy, a French poet and essayist, offered a perspective on life that has become more and more relevant today. Long before the term “political correctness” became mainstream, he noticed how certain attitudes and opinions were becoming obligatory in the public...

While Catholics regularly gather for liturgical celebrations and for devotions such as the Rosary and Stations of the Cross, we also pray in all sorts of settings and for many reasons where we aren’t quite sure what to say. Justin McClain joins us with prayers for all occasions.

The persecution of Christians is at its highest point in three decades, according to the latest report from advocacy group Open Doors. North Korea tops the list once again, and things are also bad in Somalia, Yemen, Iran and Afghanistan. David Curry has more.

“Blessed are the_____” Many of us can fill in the blank with a list memorized in Sunday school or catechism class. The meek, the poor in spirit, something about those who are reviled… and that’s it. These Beatitudes are a nice bit of pious trivia, nothing more. But if that’s what we think, we’re missing out―not only on some of Jesus’ most important teachings in the Gospels, but on the very core of...

If you were school-aged or older in 1986, you probably remember where you were when you heard of the Challenger disaster. But what you may not know is that the entire tragedy could have been avoided. An engineer tried to warn NASA that the O-rings for the fuel system would not seal properly under low temperatures; his warnings were ignored, and this flaw led to disaster. How many warnings do we ge...

The story of abortion in America extends far beyond the 50-year lifespan of Roe vs Wade. It’s been a part of American history since the beginning. Leah Savas walks us through the cultural and legal history of abortion in America from 1652 to today.

This week the AP published an interview it conducted with Pope Francis and the quote everyone is talking about is when he said that “Homosexuality is not a crime.” But he said many other things worthy of our attention, particularly about the German synod. Matthew Bunson joins us with more.

We are living in extraordinary times as members of the Church. Prominent members of the Church have felt the freedom to speak on things the Church has long since settled. In a recent essay, San Diego Cardinal Mcelroy addressed the “the exclusion of divorced and remarried and L.G.B.T. Catholics, particularly on the issue of participation in the Eucharist.” Al discusses.

The practice of speaking in Tongues has become more popular since the Catholic Charismatic Renewal began in the 1960s. But is it related to the instances of Speaking in Tongues we see in the book of Acts? Dr. Phil Blosser joins us.

Yesterday we celebrated the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul – and today we follow it up by remembering two of his most notable companions: Timothy and Titus. Al examines the role the played in bringing the Gospel to the Gentiles.