Kresta in the Afternoon

Al looks at some recent stories involving bishops, including a Mexican bishop who will deny communion to pro-abortion politicians.

Even in the worst situations, we can find Catholics and other Christians working to bring a light to the darkness. And that's what's happening in Ukraine. Szymon Czyszek and the Knights of Columbus have been providing relief in Ukraine and in Poland, where more than a million Ukrainians are seeking refuge. Szymon joins us.

Art – whether it be great paintings, sculptures, statues, or something else, is often a casualty of war. There’s no reason to believe Ukraine will be an exception. It may seem frivolous to talk about art during such a grave humanitarian crisis, but art is an essential part of the humanity of a culture, exploited by invaders and destroyed by barbarians to strike at the heart of a people’s identity....

Is Russia a devoutly Christian nation that is simply trying to preserve traditional values from Western Liberal influences? The simple answer is no, but it’s also more complicated. Al discusses.

Luke O’Hara lived 23 years in Japan and, during that time, found his way to the Catholic Church He shares how he came to be a Catholic and the Japanese martyrs he met along the way.

At the start of this month China implemented new internet regulations, which place broad restrictions on religious communication, teaching and evangelism. In short, they only allow government-approved religious groups to share information online. Sean Cheng gives us a look at how this will affect Christians in China.

The new film The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson, is the latest effort to bring the Caped Crusader to the big screen. The artists who originally conceived the character said they drew inspiration from another fictional vigilante: Zorro. And both characters force us to consider questions that affect us far beyond the world of the story. To what extent can we trust our social institutions or our r...

Most of the West has been unified in condemning the actions of Putin and the Russian military. But what happens when that sentiment extends to vandalizing a Russian business, or demanding a Russian artist living in the West publicly denounce their homeland? Al discusses.

The Vatican announced today that Pope Francis will consecrate Russia and Ukraine to Mary’s Immaculate Heart on Friday, and his papal envoy will do the same in Fatima. What does this mean? Matthew Bunson explains.

Anthropologists at the University of Oxford have discovered what they believe to be seven universal moral rules. How do they relate to the Catholic idea of the Natural Law? Does the Natural Law have any influence on modern philosophical thought? We talk with Dr. Greg Popcak.

Any parent knows the beautiful, exhausting and bewildering challenges that come with raising kids. How do we go beyond merely “raising” them to helping them find and understand their vocations? We’ll talk with John and Claire Grabowski.

We live in troubling times. And we sometimes feel we just fall too short to be accepted by God. But throughout the Scriptures we hear of God’s mercy, and that He has great plans for us. Al discusses.

Jerusalem plays a central role in three faiths. We have a pretty good understanding of its importance to Jews and Christians - but what does it mean to Muslims? We talk with Dr Brian Bradford.

When natives of third-world countries visit the West, they often comment on how uncomfortable many westerners are with talking about death. We know it happens to everyone, but we're afraid and hide from the very idea of it. For some, this has even led to transhumanist efforts to "conquer" death. But that's not what God the Father wants us to do. For Christians, death is not something to fear - it...

The 1965 hit song "It's My Life," performed by the Animals, expressed the angst of a generation, proclaiming "It's my life and I'll do what I want. It's my mind and I'll think what I want." For composer Carl D'Errico, it's a deeply personal statement that reflects a crucial step on his journey from despair to Christian hope. Carl shares his story with us.

What does it mean to believe that God is love, and what does it mean for the church of Jesus Christ to live this love? Extravagant love is costly. It was won at the great price of Christ's sacrifice; thus, its value is beyond words. John Armstrong joins us with a look at the path to Christian unity.

You've probably heard of "life hacks," little tricks you can use to make everyday tasks more efficient. What if we had life hacks for our prayer lives? Well, that's what Patti Armstrong has given us. She joins us.

Nordic Catholic bishops have issued an open letter expressing alarm at the direction of the German Synodal way. The letter also warns against “capitulation to the Zeitgeist” and “an impoverishment of the content of our faith.” We look at this and other church news with Matthew Bunson.

We talked in the last hour about the religious experience Ernest Shackleton had as he hiked over a mountain to reach help for his stranded shipmates. Religious experiences are common in human history. Al looks it over.

Ever since the early 1960s, the Vatican has been infatuated with the idea of a bilateral entente with Russian Orthodoxy. Whatever its noble intentions, that has been a fool’s errand. George Weigel joins us with his latest thoughts on this and other news out of Ukraine.

This week the New York Times published an article claiming that the Texas Heartbeat Act has had only a marginal effect on the number of abortions that Texas women have obtained. But according to the most recent data, Texas reported a large decline in the in-state abortion rate after the law took effect in September. Michael New joins us.

Researchers have found the wreck of the Endurance, the ship used by Ernest Shackleton on his doomed Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Shackleton and his men returned from that voyage in one of the century's great survival stories and he attributed it to "Providence." What does that mean? Al discusses.

For two weeks now, the world has been focused on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and people of all faiths have joined in praying for the Ukrainian people. But what happens when the news cycle inevitably moves on to the next world event? Will we continue to pray for them when the story isn’t at the front of our minds? We talk with Randall Smith.

Lisa Brenninkmeyer was raised in a devoutly Christian home and as an adult came into the Catholic Church. She quickly noticed a lack of fresh, relevant Catholic Bible studies that were designed for mothers. She joins us to share her story and her work – stay tuned for more on our video podcasts!

Born in 1906, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German theologian active in the “Confessing Church”, an ecumenical group of Christians united in resistance to the Nazis. While he never came into full Communion with the Church, he has profound insights which we can use in our Lenten journey. Ken Craycraft takes a look.