Jesuitical

Jesuitical’s co-host Zac Davis is joined by America's Vatican correspondent, Colleen Dulle, and executive editor Sebastian Gomes to assess the first year of Pope Leo XIV’s ministry as Bishop of Rome. They discuss Leo’s style, priorities and to what degree is continuing Pope Francis’ reforming agenda.

00:00 Pope Leo's first year

1:56 Can Pope Leo be claimed by the left or the right?

5:45 Is Pope Leo continuing Pope Francis' agenda?

13:30 Pope Leo's style

19:42 Women and sexuality

23:18 Is church unity the priority?

27:45 Pope Leo's appeals for peace

Links:

Pope Leo at year one: The progress of an American pope

Pope Leo’s powerful lesson in vulnerable leadership

Trump, Pope Leo, William F. Buckley and John XXIII: An overview of Popes and Politics in America

Pope Leo remembers ‘the great gift’ of Pope Francis on the first anniversary of his death

Pope Leo denounces those who use the name God for military gain

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This week on “Jesuitical,” Ashley and Zac talk to Laura Kelly Fanucci, author of Living Easter: 50 Days to Practice Resurrection. Together, they discuss the tendency among Christians to overlook the 50-day Easter season, as well as Laura’s personal experiences and struggles practicing resurrection.

In Signs of the Times, Ashley and Zac speak with James Martin, S.J., editor at large for America, to unpack Pope Leo’s recent comments about blessings for same-sex couples and the church’s teaching on sexual morality.

And in As One Friend Speaks to Another, Ashley shares her experience taking on a new role at America and the graces that it has brought her.

00:00 Is Easter harder than Lent?

2:05 German bishops to bless same-sex couples

6:00 How Pope Leo responded

9:20 Church unity and sexual morality

12:43 Is the church at an impasse?

15:20 Is the Easter season too long?

18:34 How to practice Easter-ing

26:29 Resurrection stories to learn from

30:57 Resurrecting Pentecost

34:52 Uniting suffering to Christ

41:13 Grief, scars and resurrection in Minneapolis

48:20 Faith sharing

 Links

Order Laura’s new book, Living Easter: 50 Days to Practice Resurrection

Pope Leo speaks on same-sex blessings, migration and more on plane back to Rome

Remarks on sexual ethics highlight Pope Leo’s pastoral priorities

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This week on “Jesuitical,” Ashley and Zac speak with Ryan Burge, author of the “Graphs about Religion” Substack and the new book, The Vanishing Church: How the Hollowing Out of Moderate Congregations Is Hurting Democracy, Faith, and Us. They discuss the polarization of U.S. Christianity and the supposed Gen-Z “religious revival.”

In Signs of the Times, Ashley and Zac discuss some highlights from Pope Leo’s trip to Africa; what Pope Leo called the not-exactly-accurate media narrative around him and President Trump; and the first anniversary of Pope Francis’ death.

00:00 A Gen-Z religious revival?
3:38 Highlights of Pope Leo's trip to Africa
10:05 VP Vance questions Pope Leo's theology
20:37 Remembering Pope Francis
22:50 Moderate Christianity is vanishing
25:49 U.S. religion is coded "conservative"
34:54 Catholic demographic trends
37:15 Political implications
40:53 Are young people going back to church?
48:18 Winner churches
52:56 Gen-Z religious trads
1:04:08 Faith Sharing: Pope Francis' humble tomb

Links:

⁠Order Ryan’s book, The Vanishing Church⁠

⁠Graphs about Religion⁠

⁠Pope Leo walks in the footsteps of St. Augustine in Hippo⁠

⁠Pope Leo denounces those who use the name God for military gain⁠

⁠Pope Leo named one of Time magazine’s ‘100 Most Influential People of 2026’⁠

⁠Pope Leo remembers ‘the great gift’ of Pope Francis on the first anniversary of his death⁠

You can follow us on ⁠X⁠ and on ⁠Instagram⁠ @jesuiticalshow.  

You can find us on Facebook at ⁠facebook.com/groups/jesuitical.⁠ 

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This week on “Jesuitical,” Ashley and Zac speak with John Carr, founder of Georgetown University’s Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life.

In “Signs of the Times,” a cross-promotion of America’s roundtable discussion between Ashley, Sam Sawyer, S.J., the president and editor in chief, and Colleen Dulle, Vatican correspondent and co-host of “Inside the Vatican,” on President Trump’s unprecedented social media attack on Pope Leo XIV.

00:00 President Trump's words for Pope Leo

1:55 Pope Leo's criticism of war

3:14 Pope Leo's response to Trump

5:26 U.S. Bishops respond to Trump

6:22 Reactions to Trump's tirade

8:03 Did Trump influence Leo's election?

11:00 Don't take the President's bait

14:40 Impact on U.S.-Vatican relations

19:10 John Carr wanted to be a priest and a senator

21:25 Catholic teaching on mass deportations

30:32 Catholic social teaching is a long, reliable tradition

37:05 Is social justice redeemable?

47:10 How money influences Catholic priorities

50:13 First impressions of Pope Leo

 Links for further reading: 

John Carr: Lessons from 50 years at the intersection of Catholic social teaching and public life

Reactions: President Trump lashes out at Pope Leo XIV

Trump is trying to distract us from Pope Leo’s calls for peace. Don’t take the bait.

Trump lambasts Pope Leo: ‘I’m not a fan.’

You can follow us on X and on Instagram @jesuiticalshow.  

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This week on a special crossover episode of “Jesuitical,” Ashley and Colleen Dulle, host of the “Inside the Vatican” podcast, speak with Gerard O’Connell, America’s senior Vatican correspondent, and his wife Elisabetta Piqué about co-writing The Election of Pope Leo XIV: The Last Surprise of Pope Francis.

In “Signs of the Times,” Ashley and guest host Sebastian break down Pope Leo’s first Holy Week and how it was shaped by the conflict between the United States and Iran. They also discuss astronaut Victor Glover, the pilot of the Artemis II mission, and his Easter message from space. 

Finally, in “As One Friend Speaks to Another,” Ashley and Sebastian talk about how the death and resurrection of Christ can help us understand and live through the extremes of this past week’s news—the threat of Iran’s total destruction and the new heights reached by humanity in space.

 Links:

The Election of Pope Leo XIV: The Last Surprise of Pope Francis, by Gerard O’Connell and Elisabetta Pique

Excerpt: Behind the scenes of Pope Leo XIV’s election

Pope Leo praises U.S.-Iran ceasefire as ‘sign of genuine hope,’ presses for peace

Pope Leo: Trump’s threat to destroy Iran ‘truly unacceptable’

What photos from the Artemis II astronauts say to us in a time of war

Artemis astronaut: Moon mission inspires wonder, prayer and unity

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