Podcasts: 2010

Drew Christiansen, S.J., first began reading the work of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, S.J., as a novice, and the French Jesuit's thinking served as a formative intellectual and spiritual influence. Discussing his essay, "On the Slope with Teilhard," Father Christiansen explains Teilhard's fascination with matter, and how matter can help the spirit to flourish.

John Howard Griffin is known primarily as the author of Black Like Me, a seminal book in the history of the civil rights movement in which a white man dressed up as a black man and wrote about his experiences in the segregated south. But Griffin was also a war hero, a convert to Catholicism, a blind man who miraculously regained his sight and the onetime biographer of Thomas Merton. The documentary filmmaker Morgan Atkinson introduces his documentary of Griffin, "Uncommon Vision," which will air on Kentucky PBS on January 11 and is available for purchase on Atkinson's Web site.

Deborah M. Jones discusses her book, The School of Compassion: A Roman Catholic Theology of Animals, and her work with the Catholic Concern for Animals. Dr. Jones has sought to build a theology of animals around the catechism's dictate that "animals are God's creatures. By their mere existence, they bless him and give him glory. Thus men owe them kindness." She reflects on care for animals shown by the desert fathers, why she hopes her cause will be embraced by Catholic scholars and what ordinary Catholics can do to show their compassion for all God's creatures.

When he was first summoned to meet with Pope John Paul II, Sir Gilbert Levine was surprised to find himself led to the pope's private library, and felt sure it was it was a once-in-a-lifetime meeting. That first conversation in 1988 gave birth to a 17-year relationship between the two men--an unlikely pairing of a Brooklyn-born Jewish conductor and the Polish pope. Levine would conduct numerous papal concerts over the years, including the memorable "Papal Concert to Commemorate the Shoah" in 1994. The two men developed what one of John Paul's aides called a "deep spiritual friendship," which Levin writes about in his new book The Pope's Maestro. Scroll to minute 22:08 to heard Sir Gilbert describe the day he prayed with Pope John Paul II.

America's Book Club discusses Human Chain, the new collection of poems by Seamus Heaney. Angela O'Donnell, a poet and professor of English at Fordham University, analyzes the recurrent themes in the collection, including mortality and the sacramental nature of creation. As in previous volumes, Heaney uses his writing to carry on a conversation with generations past, and here he converses with both his deceased parents and poets such as John Donne. Professor O'Donnell also reads her own poem, "Homage to St. Seamus," which was published in America in March 2010.

Tom Price and Nora Collins of Catholic Relief Services provide a report on reconstruction efforts underway in Haiti following the devastating earthquake in January and the work CRS is doing to aid in the country's recovery. Only 4 percent of earthquake rubble has been removed in 10 months, and large number of residents are still living in temporary tent cities. Tom Price also discusses his article for America, "The Other Haiti," which looks at the special challenges facing residents of the country's rural provinces.

Pictured right: Tents house patients of the Hospital Saint Francois outside of Port-au-Prince. CRS is working to rebuild the hospital, which was damaged in the quake. Photo by Benjamin Depp for CRS.

Kyle T. Kramer recounts his recent trip to Eastern Kentucky where he witnessed the horrors of mountaintop removal, an injustice that he describes as almost Biblical in scope. In addition to destroying the natural landscape, MTR creates nearly unlivable conditions for the families who live in the vicinity. Kramer explains why all people of faith have a special calling to work against MTR and reduce the energy consumption that feeds the growth of the coal industry.

In part 2 of his interview with Kerry Weber, Eboo Patel assails the anti-Islamic prejudice at the heart of the simmering controversy surrounding the so-called "Ground Zero" mosque.

John W. Martens, an associate professor of theology at St. Thomas University and the principal blogger for "The Good Word," introduces America's Scripture blog by asking, what is the Bible? The answer depends on whether you are Jewish, Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant. Even among English speaking Catholics there is disagreement about which Biblical translation is the best. Professor Martens shares his favorite translation and his favorite book of the Bible. He also explores the deeper question of what it means to say the Bible is inspired by God.

W. Malcolm Byrnes reports on scientific research into induced pluripotent stem cells, a promising prolife alternative to embryonic stem cell research. Because IPS cell research does not result in the destruction of embryos--and because IPS cells are more easily obtained than embryonic stem cells--their discovery in 2006 was hailed by scientists and prolife leaders alike. Four years later, it appears that additional testing is still needed to demonstrate that IPS cells are functionally equivalent to embryonic stem cells. This process could pose ethical problems for church leaders, explains Byrnes, who argues that a recent encyclical could point a way forward.

In a discussion of his new collection of spiritual writings, the Rev. Virgilio Elizondo describes the importance of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Latino Catholic tradition, and how the story of Mary's appearance can help to bridge the polarizing divide opened by the immigration debate. Father Elizondo, a professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame who still does pastoral work in his home diocese of San Antonio, also describes the evolution of U.S. Latino theology, including the importance of Galilee in his own study of the life of Jesus.

The small island of Malta may seem like a surprising choice for a papal visit, but that country's rich Catholic culture drew Pope John Paul II to travel there twice. Pope Benedict XVI made the trip in April, and U.S. ambassador Douglas W. Kmiec says that the pontiff seemed rejuvenated after his tour of some of the country's many parishes. Ambassador Kmiec also discusses the pope's meeting with sexual abuse survivors, and what living in Malta taught him about his faith as he grieved the death of his father. Read Ambassador Kmiec's article on his father's death in the June 21-28 issue of America.

Novelist Mary Gordon's new book, Reading Jesus: a Writer's Encounter with the Gospels, began as an effort to understand Christian fundamentalism by looking at the primary sources of the Christian tradition. As she examined Jesus' life and work, she discovered that she did not always agree with Jesus's teachings, refusing, for example, to heed his words to "let the dead bury the dead." Yet she did not find her faith undermined by these disagreements, and instead came to a richer if more complicated understanding of what it means to be a believer. Interview conducted by assistant editor Kerry Weber. Photo by Emma Dodge Hanson.

We feature two online conversations this week: the first is with Clayton Sinyai, right, a member of the Catholic Labor Network and the director of strategic campaigns for the Amalgamated Transit Union. Speaking at a conference on Caritas in Veritate held at Princeton University, Clayton explored what the pope’s latest encyclical has to say about the labor movement. We also spoke with Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki, who was visiting New York to attend the nonproliferation deliberations at the United Nations. The archbishop brought with him a scorched remnant of a statue of Mary that graced the main altar of Nagasaki’s Urakami Cathedral before it was destroyed by the atomic bomb. The archbishop was an unborn child in his mother’s womb when the second atomic bomb obliterated his hometown.

Matt Malone, S.J., a former associate editor at America, reports from London on what may be the closest--and most exciting--race to lead Parliament in decades. What happens if there is a "hung Parliament," and what role does the Queen play in this scenario? How does the British election compare with its American counterpart? Malone provides cogent analysis along with a helpful introduction to the unique intricacies of the British political system.

Life in Year One is not a book about Jesus, but about the time in which Jesus lived, explains author Scott Korb. What did people eat, where did they work and worship, and what was their relationship to Roman authorities? Few historical records of the time exist, so looking back at this era requires moral imagination--a habit that, if cultivated properly, could help readers connect to the poor and destitute of our own time.

Andrew J. Bacevich, professor of history and international relations at Boston University, discusses the guiding illusions at the heart of the U.S. campaign in Afghanistan. The U.S. commitment to secular modernity, in particular, is at odds with an Islamic culture that is infused with religion at every level. American do-goodism is not enough to win in Afghanistan, Bacevich argues, and may even exacerbate anti-American sentiment. Read Professor Bacevich's article from the March 29 issue, "Deja Vu in Marja."

In the third installment of America's Book Club, Kevin Spinale, S.J., and Tim Reidy consider Colum McCann's Let the Great World Spin, a novel about beauty, grace and coincidence set in Manhattan in 1974. Built around Philip Petit's famous tight-rope walk between the twin towers of the World Trade Center, McCann's novel is told from a multitude of perspectives, tracing the lives of characters as diverse as a traveling Irish mendicant and a prostitute working the streets of the Bronx. In McCann's world, drug addicts and pimps are worthy of attention, and beauty can be found in the most unlikely of places. Winner of the 2009 National Book Award, Let the Great World Spin is an elegant tapestry of a novel, one that America's reviewer recommends reading twice.

Part 2 of America's annual Oscar round-up. Films discussed include "Precious," "Up" and "Up in the Air."

Can health care reform still pass now that the Democrats have lost their filibuster proof majority? How do the bishops assess the House and Senate bills, especially on the question of abortion? As the director of domestic social development for the U.S. bishops' conference, Kathy Saile has worked to insure that the bishops' voice is heard on Capitol Hill during during the health care debate. Here she talks with associate editor Kevin Clarke about the prospects for reform and why the bishops are still pushing hard for "health care for all."

Catholic Relief Services has been providing aid to Haiti since 1954 and had 300 workers in the country when the earthquake hit on January 12. John Rivera, the director of communications for CRS, gives an update on the agency's relief efforts, and explains how CRS is working with the U.S. government and faith-based aid agencies to deliver food where it is needed. Donate to CRS here.