The Catholic Herald Podcast: Merely Catholic with Gavin Ashenden

Is one of the world's most prominent Catholic journalists being slowly broken in a Hong Kong prison cell? Claire Lai joins Mary Margaret Olsen to tell the story of her father Jimmy Lai — founder of Apple Daily, convicted under a law written to destroy him — and the remarkable faith that has held him through 1,927 days of solitary confinement. With Britain and the Trump administration now raisi...

What does it actually cost to spend nearly five decades defending life on Capitol Hill? Mary Margaret sits down with Congressman Chris Smith, co-chair of the House Pro-Life Caucus, to trace a career built on hate mail, death threats, and legislation most Americans have never heard of. Smith authored the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 — the law used to convict Ghislaine Maxwell and near...

Is the pro-life movement winning the argument while losing the battle on the ground? Mary Margaret sits down with Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, to take stock of the movement in the wake of Dobbs. Despite 20 states passing strong pro-life protections, abortion rates have climbed, driven by an unregulated flood of abortion pills no one in power seems willing...

Is telling the truth the most countercultural act in an age of lies? Mary Margaret sits down with Fr Gregory Pine OP, Dominican priest and author, to examine the moral and spiritual weight of speech. From the algorithms that quietly corrupt Christian witness online, to the sins of gossip and detraction that substitute for genuine communion, Pine argues that every word we speak is either an investm...

Can etiquette and faith actually change minds — or just smooth over conflict? Mary Margaret sits down with Alison Cheperdak, etiquette author and former White House staffer, to examine what good manners are really for. From her Irish Catholic upbringing and time in the Trump West Wing, to navigating conversations about abortion and the quiet return of younger women to tradition, Cheperdak argues t...

Is Ireland's Catholic revival real — or is the establishment determined to bury it? Mary Margaret Olohan sits down with Declan Ganley, Irish entrepreneur and political campaigner, to examine the true state of Catholicism in Ireland. From the rigging of the 2018 abortion referendum and the blocking of a pro-life presidential candidate, to the iconoclasm of a president who stripped Saint Patrick...

Is faith returning to American public life? Mary Margaret Olohan sits down with former Senator Rick Santorum to discuss the changing place of Catholicism in American politics. From the rise of more outspoken Catholic voices in politics to the battle over marriage, education, family life and moral truth, Santorum reflects on what has changed in the United States, and what is still at stake. He also...

This is a new video series by the Catholic Herald titled In Conversation With, hosted by Mary Margaret Olohan. Each episode features in-depth discussions with leading voices in politics, culture, and the Church, exploring the defining moral, spiritual, and social questions of our time. With a focus on clarity, conviction, and the renewal of faith in public life, the series offers thoughtful, candi...