Jesuitical

This week on the “Jesuitical” podcast, Ashley McKinless and Zac Davis speak with National Public Radio’s Scott Detrow about Pope Leo’s cancer diagnosis and Scott’s new book, American Pope: Leo XIV's Road from the South Side of Chicago to Vatican City. Scott shares his initial reaction to the pope’s lung surgery this week and provides insights into Leo’s medical history. Then, Scott, Zac and Ashley follow Robert Prevost’s incredible journey from Chicago to Peru to the Vatican and discuss what makes the first American pope uniquely qualified to lead the Catholic Church.

Chapters
00:00 Pope Leo's cancer diagnosis
2:02 A surprise conclave
4:18 Scott reacts to Leo's cancer
7:37 How Catholics in Chicago shaped Leo
13:45 Leo's leadership style
17:45 Leo's vision of the church
20:44 An unlikely bishop
29:56 A cardinal, not a bureaucrat
32:38 Did Francis prepare Prevost to be pope?
35:12 Pope Leo, the American
39:38 Open questions about Pope Leo

Links from the show:
- Pope Leo diagnosed with lung cancer, Vatican announces: https://www.americamagazine.org/vatican-dispatch/2026/10/13/pope-leo-diagnosed-with-lung-cancer-vatican-announces
- Pope Leo is walking, eating and receiving therapy after lung cancer surgery: https://www.americamagazine.org/vatican-dispatch/2026/10/14/pope-leo-lung-cancer-recovery-walking
- What to know about Pope Leo’s cancer diagnosis: https://www.americamagazine.org/vatican-dispatch/2026/10/14/what-to-know-about-pope-leos-cancer-diagnosis
- American Pope: Leo XIV’s Road from the South Side of Chicago to Vatican City: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250446053/americanpope
- No one expected Leo to be pope — except everyone who knew him as ‘Bob’: https://www.npr.org/2026/10/03/nx-s1-5987816/pope-leo-american-pope-book-excerpt
- Sign up for our Vatican newsletter: https://www.americamagazine.org/sign-up-for-vatican-notebook-email-newsletter

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This week on “Jesuitical,” hosts Zac Davis and Ashley McKinless speak with Joseph de Viveiros, C.R., about the pastoral consequences of Pope Francis’ groundbreaking 2016 document on family life, “Amoris Laetitia.” Father Joseph is a priest of the Congregation of the Resurrection, and chaplain for the Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board in North Bay, Ontario. As Pope Leo gathers bishops from around the world at the Vatican to review the document’s implementation, Zac, Ashley and Father Joseph discuss the complex challenges facing families and young couples, and how a lot of work needs to be done, especially by priests, to realize Pope Francis’ vision.

Chapters:

00:00 Auguri Ashley McKinless!

1:50 Why we're talking about 'Amoris Laetitia'

7:45 The Christian ideal vs. lived reality

12:23 People's lives are messy

16:30 Critics of Francis' approach

21:57 How to discern in conscience

25:58 How the Church forms couples

36:20 Advice for priests

37:45 Why you should get married

43:25 Parish announcements: auguri!

44:33 Faith sharing: grace in sacraments

Links:

Read “Amoris Laetitia”

Amoris Laetitia: For a new proclamation of Gospel with families and for families

Bishops are meeting at the Vatican next week to discuss ‘Amoris Laetitia.’ Here’s what you need to know.

What you need to know about Pope Leo’s October meeting on marriage and family

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This week on Jesuitical, Colleen Dulle joins hosts Zac Davis and Sebasian Gomes to discuss Pope Leo’s recent visit to France, including his messages on assisted dying, European identity and the role of the Catholic Church in a secular country. Colleen also reflects on her experience of traveling with the pope for the first time.

⁠Sign up for Colleen’s newsletter, Vatican Notebook⁠!

Chapters:

00:00 First time on the papal plane!

4:02 Why Pope Leo went to France

6:45 Catholic revival?

9:43 Secularity in France

14:02 Pro-life issues in France

17:57 Is Europe a "Christian" culture?

24:55 Pope meets abuse victims

34:08 Liturgy and division

Links:

⁠Pope Leo’s trip to France won’t be a victory lap—and that’s a good thing.⁠

⁠Vatican Notebook: Pope Leo navigates tensions between secularism and Catholic history on France visit⁠

⁠‘More than a monument’: Pope Leo’s speech at the newly renovated Notre-Dame⁠

⁠Pope Leo draws 800,000 to Mass in the heart of Paris⁠

⁠Vatican Notebook: Pope Leo addresses French conversion boom, warns against complacency⁠

⁠Pope speaks out against French assisted-dying and abortion laws in Lourdes visit⁠

⁠Mother: Pope Leo’s blessing of special-needs daughter recognizes ‘segment of humanity often set aside’⁠

⁠Pope Leo meets with survivors of abuse in Lourdes⁠

⁠Pope Leo: Europe must return to path of dialogue, not military buildup⁠

⁠Pope Leo is not ‘in panic mode’ about an A.I. catastrophe, but ‘we can’t just sit back’ and do nothing⁠

You can sign up for Colleen's 'Vatican Notebook' newsletter ⁠here⁠: ⁠https://www.americamagazine.org/sign-up-for-vatican-notebook-email-newsletter⁠

Follow Colleen on Instagram: ⁠@colleendulle⁠

Support the show by becoming a ⁠subscriber to America Magazine⁠!
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This week on the “Jesuitical” podcast, Ashley McKinless and Zac Davis speak with Rachel Lu about the beatification of Fulton Sheen, the American archbishop who was famous for his media evangelism in the mid-20th century. Rachel is a senior editor at Law and Liberty and a regular contributor to the National Review and America Magazine. Together they discuss Sheen’s charisma, cultural influence, and his lesser known political philosophy which defended both the public role of religion and the separation of church and state.

Chapters:

Chapters:

00:00 Beatification of Fulton Sheen

01:23 When Fulton Sheen arrived on the scene

05:20 Sheen’s philosophical training

07:34 Fighting communism

11:22 What made Sheen’s TV show so popular?

13:51 What Sheen would think of America today?

26:09 The first celebrity bishop?

34:19 Introducing "Auguri!"

36:15 Faith sharing: Praying about using A.I.

Links from the show:

Fulton Sheen Bet on America. Some Catholics Want to Call It Off.

Pope Leo calls Archbishop Fulton Sheen ‘a light of faith’ who touched millions with the Gospel

Archbishop Fulton Sheen to be beatified Sept. 24 in St. Louis

Sign up for our newsletter, Vatican Notebook!

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On this week’s episode of “Jesuitical,” Zac Davis and Sebastian Gomes speak with America’s President and Editor in Chief, Sam Sawyer, S.J. to discuss the impact that U.S. bishops are having on politics, AI, and more. Bishops are speaking out against war, mass deportations, the death penalty and racism, and their voices are breaking through. In this episode, Zac, Sebastian and Sam talk about why they’re having a moment, the influence of Pope Leo, and the opportunities for shaping the future of A.I.

Chapters:

00:00 Growing influence of Bishops on US politics

04:35 Opposing mass deportation

10:30 Engaging with the Trump Administration

14:05 Bishops are finding new ways to talk about issues

18:00 The influence of Pope Leo

22:43 Where Bishops stand on A.I.

29:54 How U.S. Bishops can implement Magnifica humanitas

32:55 Opportunities around A.I.

Links:

The U.S. bishops are speaking out forcefully on politics—and finally being heard

Top US bishop writes letter to Trump urging end to mass deportations of Haitians

Why are there so few African American bishops? ‘The short answer is racism’ says Bishop Boxie

Bishop Olson on racism

US bishops form new task force over AI concerns, meet with tech leaders

Pope Francis to U.S. Catholic bishops: Oppose mass deportations

Analysis: The U.S. bishops showed their unity on behalf of immigrants—and may have repaired their relationship to Rome

Artificial Intelligence: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

USCCB Positions on Artificial Intelligence

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