The 15th Station

Can atheists get to heaven? Can a group of Catholics call their Catholic group “Catholic”? Can Pope Francis continue his charmed run with the media when he makes his first overseas trip next month? Can Catholics still be members of ... The post Station XV: Episode 69 — Catholics, Atheists and Nudists appeared first on The 15th Station .

In the May 2013 episode of The 15th Station, James, Helen, Don and Gavin talk about the latest statistics that show the Catholic Church is growing faster than the rate of population growth, and the number of seminarians, priests and ... The post Station XV: Episode 68 — Church expands, and so does definition of marriage appeared first on The 15th Station .

It’s been just over a month since Pope Francis took the helm of the Barque of Peter as leader of the Catholic Church. In this month’s episode, papal musings dominate the show, with Helen, James, Don and Gavin talking about ... The post Station XV: Episode 67 — Speaking frankly about Francis appeared first on The 15th Station .

There’s really only one story to talk about this month, and it’s the election of Pope Francis. What a momentous occasion for the Church and what great interest it received from around the world. James, Marcus, Shannon and Gavin talk ... The post Station XV: Episode 66 — Habemus Papam!! appeared first on The 15th Station .

To cover possibly the biggest story in the history of The 15th Station, we had to think big. So we went even more international than normal, with Lucy in Asia and Gavin in Australia joining studio-bound James and Brendan to ... The post Station XV: Episode 65 — Did you hear the Pope resigned? appeared first on The 15th Station .

The panel kicks off the new year with a debate on the ongoing process of the expected canonisation of Blessed John Paul II. Is it happening too fast? How do we judge that? And what’s the purpose of sainthood? The ... The post Station XV: Episode 64 — Saints, sinners and silliness appeared first on The 15th Station .

It’s been a big month for Pope Benedict — the man himself, and a caricature of him in New Zealand. The panel chats in this Christmas episode of The 15th Station about the Pope’s new book on Jesus, Benedict featuring ... The post Station XV: Episode 63 — Papal Preponderance and Preoccupation appeared first on The 15th Station .

In this month’s episode, James and Gavin discuss the big news out of Australia: the establishment of a Royal Commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse, with the Catholic Church currently public enemy #1 in the country. There’s even ... The post Station XV: Episode 62 — Commission, Canonisation, Apparition appeared first on The 15th Station .

Brendan and Gavin perform a verbal autopsy on last week’s presidential election, looking at the impact of Hurricane Sandy, the campaigns each candidate ran, the changing demographics of the electorate, the economy, the role of the media and so much ... The post The View from Down Here: Election recap appeared first on The 15th Station .

After months and months of anticipation and expectation, we’re now less than 48 hours away from the first polls closing as the US elects its next president. Three New Zealanders try to read the tea leaves from thousands of miles ... The post The View from Down Here: ELECTION PREVIEW appeared first on The 15th Station .

With under two weeks to go until the presidential election, that naturally dominates this week’s show, covering the story from many angles — the final debate, the polls, the campaigning, the reaction in swing states and the Al Smith Dinner, ... The post The View from Down Here: October 25, 2012 appeared first on The 15th Station .

Another week, another debate (or two) and another show packed with a couple of New Zealanders’ views on what is unfolding in the US presidential election. Did Obama win the second debate? Was Biden’s performance forceful or overly aggressive? And ... The post The View from Down Here: October 19, 2012 appeared first on The 15th Station .

The magic of the Internet brings Don, James and Gavin together for this month’s episode of The 15th Station, in which the papal butler’s conviction, the sale of a Catholic school to a Muslim education trust and the German bishops’ ... The post Station XV: Episode 61 — The butler did it, and so did the German bishops appeared first on The 15th Station .

The presidential campaign had a possibly game-changing moment last week with challenger Mitt Romney almost universally declared the winner of the first presidential debate and seeing his poll numbers take a nice jump. But will it last? What do the ... The post The View from Down Here: October 9, 2012 appeared first on The 15th Station .

It’s a pretty heavy show this week, with talk the Pope and bishops giving clear instructions on the role of Christians in politics. Brendan and Gavin also talk about the polls and the Catholic vote, the religion of past presidents ... The post The View from Down Here: October 2, 2012 appeared first on The 15th Station .

Well, they say video killed the radio star. Could the Mitt Romney video and talk of the 47 per cent kill the Republican nominee’s presidential campaign? It’s six weeks till the election, and talk of the campaign dominates this week’s ... The post The View from Down Here: September 25, 2012 appeared first on The 15th Station .

Same-sex marriage continues to dominate Catholic discussion in New Zealand and leads this month’s episode of The 15th Station. With our studio out of action, James and Gavin talk across the oceans about that story, including a sporting analogy that ... The post Station XV: Episode 60 — A cathedral, a proposal and a Martini appeared first on The 15th Station .

With about 10 weeks till the presidential election, The View from Down Here returns with a typically busy show, with discussion of a poll formula that’s predicted the past eight elections, the choice of Paul Ryan as Mitt Romney’s VP ... The post The View from Down Here: August 28, 2012 appeared first on The 15th Station .

As we mark the Feast of the Assumption, the patronal feast of New Zealand, The 15th Station celebrates our fifth birthday with a typically full show. Dunedin Bishop Colin Campbell’s strong letter denouncing the proposed opening of an abortion clinic ... The post Station XV: It’s our birthday!! appeared first on The 15th Station .

It’s been another sad week in the US, with the massacre of several people at a Sikh temple. Brendan and Gavin offer their View from Down Here on the tragedy, as well as a host of other stories including the ... The post The View from Down Here: August 8, 2012 appeared first on The 15th Station .

Since when did buying a chicken sandwich become a cultural issue? When supporters of same-sex marriage decided it was time to boycott Chick Fil-A stores because the president of the company said he supports traditional marriage between one man and ... The post The View from Down Here: August 1, 2012 appeared first on The 15th Station .

In the much-anticipated return of The View from Down Here, Brendan and Gavin discuss the tragic shooting in Aurora, Colorado, that has rightly dominated news for the past several days. In more mundane matters, the guys talk about President Obama’s “gaffe” ... The post The View from Down Here: July 25, 2012 appeared first on The 15th Station .

In Sesame Street style, this month’s episode of The 15th Station is brought to you by the word “repeal”, as we discuss the near repeal of President Obama’s health care legislation, the attempted repeal of the affiliation of a university ... The post Station XV: Episode 58 — Repeal, repeal, repeal appeared first on The 15th Station .

After illness and travel commitment, The View from Down Here returns with a full slate of stories that range from the downright scary to the ridiculous. In the former category is the controversial treatment of Attorney General Eric Holder regarding ... The post The View from Down Here: June 26 appeared first on The 15th Station .

The big international stories of the month fell on either sides of Atlantic, with Catholic organisations in the US sue the Obama administration over aspects of its health care reforms while, across in Rome, the Vatican was dealing with a ... The post Station XV: Episode 57 — Of budgets and butlers appeared first on The 15th Station .