Kresta in the Afternoon

In the Nuremberg trials, held after World War II, guilty men and women were held accountable for their actions in the Holocaust. More importantly, the German people were forced to face what had happened. Decades letter, Germany is a model democracy. Such a moral reckoning never happened in post-Soviet Russia, which is part of the reason Putin has felt empowered to act in the way he does. We talk m...

Why do so many Catholics find themselves too intimated to share the Faith? After all, Jesus and the apostles didn't have social media, television or even radio broadcasts - and they changed the world forever. Karen Edmisten joins us with the evangelization tools that brought her from atheism and how she uses them today.

For fifteen hundred years, icons have helped Christians meditate and pray. Used in homes and public worship, these symbolic images represent the presence of Christ and the saints. Joseph Malham joins us for a self-guided tour of icons.

Rob Galea was a lonely, miserable teenager. He wanted to feel like he belonged, so he joined a gang. He went clubbing. He drank. He stole things. He lied. His reckless lifestyle ultimately led him to hide in fear for his life from other gang members. He was so desperate in those days spent in his dark bedroom that he contemplated ending his life. But a phone call from his grandmother led to him tu...

If someone had told Ralph Martin that one day a high-ranking Cardinal would publicly deny Church teaching on homosexuality, just after the German church voted overwhelmingly in favor of changing Church teaching, he would have called them crazy. But that’s just what’s been happening in recent weeks. What should we do? Ralph joins us.

News of a Eucharistic miracle has been circulating the web for the last several days. In 2006, a nun in Mexico said she saw a reddish substance similar to blood exuding from a consecrated Host during Mass. The Vatican is temporarily classifying it as a "Eucharistic phenomenon" until investigations are completed. Matthew Bunson joins us with this and other Church news.

"I know of no instance in which the Catholic Lite project has led to a vibrant Catholicism, doing the work that Pope St. John XXIII and the Second Vatican Council set before the Church: the conversion and sanctification of the world." So says George Weigel in a recent piece for First Things. Al shares some thoughts.

Police have begun arresting protestors in Ottawa after issuing warnings earlier this week that “action is imminent.” Trucker Harold Jonker joins us again.

On Tuesday Russian officials announced the country would withdraw an unspecified number of troops from the Ukrainian border, but Western leaders are unconvinced the move is a sign that an invasion is not coming. Since yesterday, there have been several dozen violations of an agreed-upon ceasefire, and pro-Russian separatists are ordering the evacuation of civilians to Russia. Archbishop Borys Gudz...

It is common for bobsledders to reach speeds of 80 to 90 miles per hour in international races. While this may make for thrilling competition, Olympic gold medalist Curt Tomasevicz— no stranger to flying on ice — has a deep appreciation for slowing down. He’ll share his faith and give us a firsthand look at what it’s like to race down a bobsled track.

Committed Christians are the driving force behind much of the scientific psychology literature being published today. So why do so many people still think there’s a “war” between Christianity and science? We’ll talk with Mark McMinn about the Science of Virtue and how the field of positive psychology can serve as a bridge between science and the Church.

What do Catholics really believe about Purgatory? Some have erroneously claimed we see it as a "second chance" at Salvation, or a completion of Christ's sacrifice on Calvary. This is, of course, nonsense. Al looks at what the Church really says.

In a consumer-drive culture, it's easy to forget about the importance of gratefulness. Sure, we're encouraged to take a few minutes at Thanksgiving to "count our blessings," but it doesn't go much further. Secular writers may explore the benefits of gratitude, but they fail to explore the much deeper spiritual meaning of gratitude. We'll talk with Susan Muto about the development of Christian grat...

February 11 was the anniversary of Whitney Houston's death. Whitney was the most-awarded female artist of all time and has been ranked among the greatest voices ever. Her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner at the 1991 Super Bowl has become the benchmark for singers who perform the song. But not many realize she was also a woman of faith. We talk with Jetro da Silva, the man who led her in Bible...

Pope Francis on Monday made some changes to the structure of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith — the department of the Roman curia responsible for overseeing both doctrinal and major disciplinary issues in the universal Church. Al helps explain what’s going on.

What was the cultural context of the lands where Christ walked, lived and taught? What was the worldview of the ancient Hebrews, and how did it affect their thoughts and actions? How did this worldview compare to other ancient countries in the region? We talk with John Walton.

Pope Francis has unveiled new changes to Church law in an apostolic letter published Tuesday, saying that he was seeking to promote “a healthy decentralization” in the Church. Matthew Bunson has more.

What is Christian conversion? What leads a soul to return to God, reject sin and accept God’s Divine Mercy? And is there a “second conversion” that happens after the original decision to repent? We’ll look at the phenomenon of Christian conversion with Fr. Donald Haggerty.

Yesterday we celebrated Valentine’s Day. Most of us are aware that the feast has little to do with flying cupids and candy hearts, but what’s it really about? We talk with Karen McClelland, who also looks at African saints during this Black history month.

The idea of religious liberty is founded on a simple, essential truth: that religious faith is an inward disposition of the mind and heart and therefore cannot be coerced by an external force. Contrary to popular belief, this idea can be traced back far beyond the enlightenment to the earliest centuries of the Church. We look at the Christian foundations of religious liberty with Robert Wilken.

A study from the University of Texas at San Antonio suggests growing up in a religious household can be a mixed blessing. The findings show that children raised in religious families tend to have enhanced social and psychological skills, but may perform less well academically, compared to their non-religious peers. Greg Popcak joins us with more.

There’s no shortage of graces available to us as followers of Christ, but we don’t always know how to access them. It is here that we can turn to Mary, who is the perfect model for disposing ourselves to God’s grace and to responding to that grace. On this feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, we talk with Fr. Quan Tran.

For more than 250 years, Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade’s Abandonment to Divine Providence has inspired those plagued with doubt, anxiety, and fear. Fr. Jeffrey Kirby has firsthand experience with Fr. de Caussade’s spiritual classic and he joins us with his own meditations that can help you let go of what you can’t control and discover a place of deep serenity in God.

The Church simply cannot reach its full apostolic effectiveness unless each of the baptized effectively discerns his or her personal vocation. And that vocation goes far beyond just discerning if we are called to single, married or ordained life. How do we go about doing this? We talk with Fr. Brent Bowen.

Archbishop Georg Gänswein has claimed that a movement is not only out to destroy Benedict XVI’s life and work but also views the recent accusations of mishandling abuse as an opportunity to erase him from the official memory of the Church. We look at this story with Matthew Bunson.