Controversies in Church History

Today we take a brief look at the life of Constantine XI Dragases Palaiologos (1404-1453), the last Emperor of the Romans, who came to the throne of Constantinople at the very end of the Roman (i.e. "Byzantine") empire's life, and fought a heroic 52 day siege against Ottoman forces before succumbing in May of 1453.   Please subscribe to our podcast on Anchor and check out Controversies in Chu...

*Recorded November 27 2017* This episode addresses the origins and function of the various  institutions that that have gone under the name of "inquisition" in the  Catholic Church since the Middle Ages, and separates the history of  those institutions from the many myths surrounding them in our popular  culture. It give a broad overview of how the Church has treated heret...

The latest episode focuses on Dhuoda, the 9th noble woman known to us only through her Handbook, the work she wrote for her eldest son William.  Dhuoda's handbook instructs her son on how to live a Christian life, and prepare him for public life as an aristocrat.  Written during a time of war an turmoil during the Carolingian period, Dhuoda's handbook is a testament to a life filled with...

*Recorded October 30 2017* What  were the Crusades?  Were they merely wars of conquest?  Did they  represent a perversion of Christian teachings?  Were the Crusades "holy wars," the way they are often presented in popular culture?  This episode provides an overview of the origins, outcome and meaning of the Crusading movement of the Middle Ages. Please subscribe to ou...

In this podcast, we discuss the evidence for the ordination of Deaconesses in the early Church, and the arguments for whether or not they were ordained in the same way men were in the early Church.  Please subscribe to our podcast on Anchor and check out Controversies in Church History on our other platforms. LINKS: YouTube Website SOCIAL: Facebook Twitter

Konrad Adenauer, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of West Germany, from 1949-1963, is the subject of this episode of Catholic Lives. Please subscribe to our podcast on Anchor and check out Controversies in Church History on our other platforms. LINKS: YouTube Website SOCIAL: Facebook Twitter

Within  living memory, the liturgy of the Latin rite provided a visible focus  of unity for Catholics.  It possessed a universal liturgical language  that distinguished Catholicism wherever it was present, supplemented by  devotional practices such as processions, Eucharistic adoration and  other aids to faith.  To many Catholics, it appeared the embodiment of &n...

Only twice in history have popes explicitly invoked their infallible teaching authority, and both times they did so to defend teachings concerning the Virgin Mary. "Necessary  Additions? The Marian Dogmas, 1854 & 1950," discusses how and why popes Piux IX and Pius XII felt it necessary to invoke their authority to defend these doctrines, and why they caused such consternation for Pro...

The first episode of a new series I am calling "Catholic Lives."  Each episode will be a brief look at the lives of Catholics in history who have been overlooked or not as well known to our listeners.  For our first episode, recorded shortly after St. Patrick's Day, we will look at the brief but fascinating career of the Battalion of St. Patrick, a unit in the Mexican army during the U.S...

Why does the Catholic Church require celibacy of its priests?  Was this  discipline an imposition of the medieval Church, or is there a basis for  this discipline in the Early Church?  This episode of Controversies in Church considers these questions, and examines what the Church's practice of celibacy in its earliest days and how it came to be made mandatory for priests in the...

Christianity was a persecuted, minority religion within the Roman Empire until, in  the year 312, the Western Emperor Constantine decreed toleration for the Christian Church, and became its patron, endowing it with land,  buildings, wealth, and a status it had never before attained. Throughout history, many have claimed that Constantine's embrace damaged  the Church by allying it to...