The latest Catholic Lives episode, in which we look at notable non-saints in Catholic history, delves into the brief life of Baldwin IV, King of Jerusalem (1174-1185). Famous for contracting leprosy when he was a child, he fought multiple battles with the Muslim emir Saladin, and successfully protected the kingdom while he lived. Face with particularly difficult personal, political and diplomatic challenges, Baldwin IV earned the praise of contemporaries, and continues to fascinate today.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/churchcontroversies/message ..read more

Hello! The latest episode of the podcast is now available. Last year I did a "what I've been reading episode" and the feedback was in favor of a repeat, so here we go. In this episode, I recount the ten best books I have read this year, from poetry to history and liturgy. Enjoy! Books Covered: 1. John Dryden, The Hind and the Panther (1687), Poetry   2. Byung Chul-Han, The Disappearance of Rituals: a Topology of the Present (2019), Philosophy   3. Julian Jackson, A Certain Idea of France: the Life of Charles de Gaulle (2018), Biography   4. William Blake, Songs of Innocence an ..read more

In this episode, we take a look at the Liturgical Movement of the early twentieth century in the Catholic Church. The Liturgical Movement's original aim was to make the Catholic faithful partake of the Church's liturgy more deeply and fruitfully.  However, it did not originally envision a radical revision of the liturgy as actually occurred after Vatican II. I try to answer the question of what might have changed between the early twentieth century and the Second Vatican Council in the Liturgical Movement that might account for this. Pax! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.s ..read more

In the final episode on the Early Modern Era, our series on Latinization covers the relations of the Latin Church with Eastern Christians in Eastern Europe, primarily the Ukrainians, as well as the sad tale of the Italo-Albanian Church and its struggles to maintain its heritage in Italy. Finally, we also take a look back at the Early Modern Period itself, and discuss the changes spurred the increasing insistence of the Western Church that its traditions and customs take precedence over those of Eastern Christians.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/churc ..read more

The latest episode in our series on the Latinization of the Eastern rites is now available. In the latest installment, we examine how and why Catholic missionaries in the 16th century forced Latin customs on the Thomas Christians of India, native Indian Christian communities who trace their ancestry back to St. Thomas the Apostle.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/churchcontroversies/message ..read more

Greetings everyone! In the fourth installment in our series on Catholic Liberalism, we look at the sources of Catholic liberalism beyond France. Specifically, we look at the making of Catholic liberalism in Italy, where dissatisfaction with the government of the Papal States fueled Catholic engagement with liberalism. Also discussed are Church-State relations in German speaking lands, and the emergence of theological liberalism in German Catholic circles. Finally, we note the connection between Catholic liberalism and the beginnings of the Catholic Revival in England, including its connection ..read more

In this episode, I take a look at some of the most important magisterial documents that state there are limits to papal authority issued in the recent history of the Church (since 1870). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/churchcontroversies/message ..read more

Hey everyone. On this episode of the podcast, I read a blog post in which I look at the term and concept of "synodality," and argue that it is an unnecessary novelty which neither "conservative" or "traditionalist" Catholics should not use. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/churchcontroversies/message ..read more

The latest episode in our series on Latinization deals with the Church of the East, the ancient Church of Persia associated with the Nestorian heresy, which flourished in the first millennium but declined thereafter. In this, we talk about how some of these Eastern Christians came into communion with Rome in 1553, creating the Chaldean Catholic Church, which is one of the Eastern Rite Churches in communion with Rome today.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/churchcontroversies/message ..read more

In this brief episode, I respond to a listener's question about Elisabeth Anscombe and Truman, while also giving an update on future episodes of the podcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/churchcontroversies/message ..read more