The Social Doctrine of the Church

In this episode of The Social Doctrine of the Church, Michael Vacca and Robert Fastiggi interview Peter Stockland on Catholic Social Teaching in Canada. Questions asked: What is your impression of the Catholic Church in Canada? What are matters for concern and what are signs of hope? On May 30, 2026 in Toronto there was a conference entitled “Building a Culture of Life and Dignity.” Can you descri...

In this episode of The Social Doctrine of the Church, Dr. Robert Fastiggi and Michael Vacca interview Dr. Edward Smith on End-of-Life Issues. What are the main end- of-life issues today and how are they related to Catholic social doctrine? Is there a difference between euthanasia and physician assisted suicide? Why does the Catholic Church oppose euthanasia and physician assisted suicide? What is...

In this episode of The Social Doctrine of the Church, Dr. Robert Fastiggi and Michael Vacca interview Fr. Peter Ryan, SJ, on Catholic Social Teaching and Gender Ideology. Questions What is meant by gender ideology? How does gender ideology relate to Catholic social doctrine? What are the factors that have contributed to the spread of gender ideology? What is meant by gender dysphoria? Is it a psyc...

In this episode of The Social Doctrine of the Church, Dr. Robert Fastiggi and Michael Vacca interview Andrew Likoudis on his edited volume Faith in Crisis: Critical Dialogues in Catholic Traditionalism, Church Authority, and Reform. Faith in Crisis equips Catholics to navigate today’s fiercest ecclesial debates. With a foreword by philosopher-statesman Rocco Buttiglione, the volume unfolds in thre...

In this episode of The Social Doctrine of the Church, Michael Vacca and Robert Fastiggi interview Daniel Gallagher on Fratelli Tutti. How does Pope Francis’s 2020 encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, align itself with social encyclicals of prior popes and how is it unique? Why do you think Pope Francis issued this encyclical? In chapter one, Pope Francis speaks of “dark clouds over the world.” What are the...

In this episode of The Social Doctrine of the Church, Robert Fastiggi interviews Riccardo Cascioli on stewardship of the environment. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1997), nos. 2415–2418 speaks of respect for the integrity of creation? What does this mean? The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (2005) devotes a whole chapter on “Safeguarding the Environment.” Do you believe saf...

In this episode of "The Social Doctrine of the Church," Michael Vacca and Robert Fastiggi interview Diego Passadore on Catholic Social Doctrine from a Latin American perspective. How did Vatican II develop Catholic social doctrine? Was there some kind of pact made by some bishops at the council? What do you think is the Latin American perspective on Catholic social doctrine? What is your perspecti...

In this episode of The Social Doctrine of the Church, Michael Vacca and Robert Fastiggi interview Msgr. Piotr Mazurkiewicz on Catholic Doctrine, Solidarity, and the International Community (October 31, 2025) According to Catholic social doctrine, what is meant by the State? What are some dangerous visions of the State (e.g. totalitarian visions, etc.)? How should the State promote the common good?...

In this episode of The Social Doctrine of the Church, Michael Vacca and Robert Fastiggi talk with Theresa Notare, Assistant Director, NFP Program Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth I United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. How do questions of human fertility relate to the social doctrine of the Catholic Church? Some people might be surprised to learn that the Compendium of...

In this episode of Catholic Social Teaching, Robert Fastiggi and Michael Vacca interview Neal Flesher on his book Modern Chains: The Invisible Shackles of Economic Slavery. Modern Chains examines a truth we have been conditioned to ignore: our financial system functions as a silent mechanism of enslavement. Drawing on centuries of history, philosophy, and moral reasoning, author Neal Flesher revea...

In this episode The Social Doctrine of the Church, Michael Vacca and Robert Fastiggi  interview Iain Benson on subsidiarity (October 9, 2025)

In this episode of Social Doctrine of the Church, Michael Vacca and Robert Fastiggi interview John Hittinger on Human Rights, Freedom, and the State in the Magisterium of St. John Paul II. In light of Dr. Hittinger's expertise as the former director of St. John Paul II Studies at the University of St. Thomas in Houston: How did John Paul II's experiences of the totalitarian regimes of the Nazis an...

In this episode of Social Doctrine of the Church, Michael Vacca and Robert Fastiggi talk with John Klink about Catholic Social Doctrine and Migration and National Integrity. These social encyclicals were all released by different popes to address major social issues during their time. Starting in the 19th century, popes began to use their encyclicals to address hot-button social issues of their ti...

In this episode of Social Doctrine of the Church, Michael Vacca talks with Jane Adolphe and Robert Fastiggi about Catholic Social Doctrine and Issues of Equality and Non-discrimination. These social encyclicals were all released by different popes to address major social issues during their time. Starting in the 19th century, popes began to use their encyclicals to address hot-button social issues...

In this episode of Social Doctrine of the Church, Robert Fastiggi and Michael Vacca talk with Fr. Paul Sullins about Human Dignity and the Threat of Gender Ideology. Could you please tell us a little about yourself? What is meant by gender ideology or gender theory? The topic of “gender identity” is briefly touched on in no. 224 of the 2005 Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. How has...

Catholic Social Doctrine and the Role of Conscience: Interview with Michael Vacca, Esq by Robert Fastiggi

In this episode of The Social Doctrine of the Church, co-hosts Michael Vacca and Robert Fastiggi interview Daniel Gallagher on the development of Catholic Social Doctrine since Pope Leo XIII. Many people regard Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical, Rerum Novarum, as the first of the major social encyclicals. What were some of the key teachings of this encyclical? Pius XI wrote his 1931 encyclical, Quadrages...

Podcast 1 (July 15, 2025): What is meant by the social doctrine of the Catholic Church? Many claim that Catholic social doctrine only began with Pope Leo XIII's 1891 encyclical, Rerum Novarum. Is this accurate? Are there not biblical and Patristic roots to Catholic social doctrine? What do you believe are the key principles of Catholic social doctrine? What do you focus on when you teach courses o...