Jesuitical

This week, Jesuitical co-host Ashley McKinless and producer Sebastian Gomes speak to Michael W. Higgins about the spiritual master, Father Henri Nouwen (1932-1996). They explore Nouwen’s “wounded healer” approach to ministry, his brokenness and vulnerability, and his impact on contemporary Catholic thought.

In “Signs of the Times,” Ashley and Zac discuss Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Pope Leo, plans for a border wall through a pilgrimage site, a cosmetics mogul turned Catholic priest, and when customer service hung up on Pope Leo.

00:00 Who is Henri Nouwen?

2:51 Pope Leo meets Marco Rubio

7:42 A border wall through a pilgrimage site?

10:40 A cosmetics mogul turned Catholic priest

12:39 Customer service hangs up on Pope Leo

15:40 You need to know Henri Nouwen

18:31 Henri Nouwen was an enigma

25:14 Nouwen's writings

31:23 How Nouwen understood priesthood

36:54 Intimacy, celibacy and homosexuality

41:17 Nouwen, the wounded healer

44:52 Good ministry isn't performative

48:39 How Nouwen prayed

58:00 Faith sharing: overcoming performative piety

Links:

Pope Leo XIV’s First Year

Pope Leo meets with Marco Rubio amid Trump’s personal attacks

Catholic diocese fights Trump administration plan to seize pilgrimage site for border wall Cosmetics millionaire turned seminarian, he’d give fortune ‘back a million times’ for Jesus

Story of customer service agent hanging up on Leo shows pope’s ‘normal’ side

"Genius Born of Anguish: The Life and Legacy of Henri Nouwen"

2026 Henri Nouwen Conference: "Longing for Home: The Prophetic Witness of Henri Nouwen in a Wounded World"

Henri Nouwen Society

Henri Nouwen: How to (actually) pray without ceasing

The Monk and The Cripple by Henri Nouwen, 1980

Podcast Deep Dive: The first American pope—how it happened and what it means

Performative piety: Why liturgy is not a space for self-expression

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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

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

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

Please consider supporting Jesuitical by becoming a digital subscriber to America magazine at americamagazine.org/subscribe

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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.⁠ 

Please consider supporting Jesuitical by becoming a digital subscriber to America magazine at ⁠americamagazine.org/subscribe⁠
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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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