And that's a wrap! It's been a great joy and blessing to have sat behind the mic for three years of conversations with leading thinkers and practitioners on all things Church, State and faithful citizenship. In this episode, Patrick sits down with his podcast co-creator and co-conspirator, Michael Dopp, to reflect on Crown & Crozier's genesis and journey, why it's time to step aside, highlights and take-aways from our roster of amazing guests, and what the future may have in store for t...

Depending on who you ask, former Congressman Dan Lipinski is something of a rare specimen, endangered species - or perhaps even a white martyr. He represented the 3rd congressional district of Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2005 to 2021. Among his claims to fame is maintaining both his Democratic Party affiliation and a staunchly pro-life voting record, even in the midst of his party leadership adopting permissive and militant policy positions in favour of abortion. Thi...

It’s a well-known and tragic truth that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church. In this episode, we explore the unique legacy and witness of a specific subset of the holy martyrs - those who perished at the hands of communism, one of the most sinister ideologies of human history and enemies of the Church. Our guest is Kristen Theriault, author of the recently published book, “When the Sickle Swings - Stories of Catholics Who Survived Communist Oppression.” This is an inspiring ...

To work in the Vatican during one pontificate is a rare privilege for any member of the laity. To work for three different pontificates, including as an official representative of the Holy See (and a female representative, no less) - well, that just puts you in the hall of fame. Mary Ann Glendon has cultivated a long and distinguished record of service to the Catholic Church: head of the Holy See’s delegation to the World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995; Member and Presiden...

Religion declared “non-essential.” Skeptical voices censored. The elderly dying alone. Christmas in lockdown. These are just a few examples from the lengthy hit-list of government violations of Canadians’ civil liberties during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our guests for this episode are co-authors of Pandemic Panic: How Canadian Government Responses to COVID-19 Changed Civil Liberties Forever. The book attempts to ensure that the implications of government overreach ...

In this episode, Dr. Yuval Levin offers a spirited defense of capitalism on moral grounds, recognizing that the most serious criticisms against capitalism aren’t necessarily about prosperity and wealth, but about the perceived moral failings of the economic system. This approach is actually consistent with the original case for capitalism, articulated by Adam Smith himself, who was first and foremost a moral philosopher. Along the way, we talk about the essential virtues within Smith’s phil...

What is a nation? What is a Christian nation? Is nationalism virtuous? What does it mean to practice "complacent" love, which is the natural expression of a greater affinity for those closest to us? How can we expect to renew our society and civilization in the absence of committing ourselves as persons and as a nation to Christ? And is a Capitol Hill rioter from January 6, 2021 the archetype or the caricature of a Christian nationalist? We explore these and oth...

Join us as we revisit the highs and lows of 2023! We glance back at major stories like the Synod on Synodality, demotions of high-profile prelates, discovery of the incorrupt remains of an African-American nun who loved the ancient liturgy, U.S. federal law enforcement targeting “radical traditionalists”, and Canada’s Parliament enjoying a moment of clarity in determining that Christmas is, in fact, not a discriminatory holiday. In true Crown and Crozier style, we don’t just dwell on curren...

This episode is our second installment in a two-part series looking at “integralism”, which holds that the State should recognize Catholicism as true and ought to unite with the Church as body to her soul. In Part 1 of our attempt to give integralism a fair hearing, we were treated to a critique of the theory. In this second half, we give the floor to one of the leading intellectual voices and proponents in the integralist movement, Dr. Thomas Pink. Dr. Pink argues that integralism ...

Centuries ago, when what we now refer to as “States” were just starting to take shape, who did they turn to for guidance on how to perform their basic functions? Who taught them the equivalent of accounting, record-keeping, law, taxation and dispute resolution 101? Who served as a model for how to administer justice and organize an assembly of representatives? And who, by extension, do we have to thank for the great inheritance of such fundamental principles as the rule of law, t...

With the 2024 U.S. presidential election campaign heating up, we’re delighted to bring you an episode featuring the wisdom and experience of someone who’s endured the grueling ups and downs that come with life on the campaign trail. Our guest is Rick Santorum, who twice contested the race for the highest executive office in the United States - first in 2012 and then in 2016. Prior to his presidential runs, he served in the U.S. Congress for 16 years - the first four in the House of Represen...

If you’re a regular consumer of Catholic and Christian media, there’s a good chance that you’ve come across the term “integralism." “Integralism” refers to the school of thought which says that the Church can direct the State to adopt policies which advance the ends of the Church and help enforce Church law. Sounds wild, doesn’t it? And yet, if you look more closely, there’s actually a lengthy record of Church teaching tilting in the direction of what integralists assert. Integralism enga...

Antonin Scalia was a larger than life presence in the conservative legal movement and in the judicial branch of the U.S. government during the latter part of the 20th century and the early years of the 21st. In this episode, we get to know the late Supreme Court justice at a personal level - as the boy who became the student, who became the lawyer, who became the judge, who ultimately exerted more influence on the highest court during his 30-year tenure than perhaps any of his peers in the p...

In this episode, we turn attention to one of the greatest statesmen in Canadian history. Thomas D’Arcy McGee was a father of Canadian confederation, a champion of minority rights, and the principal architect of the unique constitutional protections afforded to Catholic schools in Canadian provinces - protections which are arguably unprecedented and unrivaled among Western democratic nations. Although overlooked in the history books of the Great White North, McGee exerted enormous influence ...

We often think of patriotism as loving our country. But what if our country is going completely off the rails? What if our culture and society is so broken and divided that we can’t even agree on why we should love our country and how best to express that love? In this episode, we take a look at patriotism through a different lens - one that might be more satisfying, settling and capable of navigating the ethical and moral questions that arise when our country is headed in the wrong directio...

Does protecting kids mean we have to turn priests into government informants? It might sound like a far-fetched question. But during their recent legislative sessions, a few U.S. state legislatures found themselves wrestling with this exact question. Under the guise of seeking to strengthen measures to safeguard children, several legislative proposals would have required priests to violate the seal of confession if information regarding incidents of abuse came to their attention in the conf...

The Church defines virtue as the “habitual and firm disposition to do good.” But as our guest for this episode points out, virtue as a concept and as a practice is increasingly under attack these days. In his recent book, War on Virtue: How the Ruling Class is Killing the American Dream, Bill Donohue argues that the widespread inculcation and exercise of virtues - especially the core virtues of self-discipline, personal responsibility and perseverance - are being subverted by political, cor...

Our guest for this episode is a member of one of Europe’s most famous Catholic families and dynasties. For 800 years, the Habsburgs have done and seen it all - occupying the highest offices of the land, both civil and religious; ruling over kingdoms stretching across the continent and the ocean; and serving as last men standing in the defense of Christendom and Western civilization against outside aggressors. In this conversation, Ambassador Eduard Habsburg highlights the rich legacy and st...

Pop quiz! Out of all the violence and persecution in the world that is religiously-motivated, 75% of victims belong to which religion? Sadly, if you guessed Christianity, you would be right. In this episode, we speak with Dr. Thomas Williams, author of the recently published book The Coming Christian Persecution: Why Things are Getting Worse and How to Prepare for What is to Come. Williams highlights how the persecution of Christians is not just an artifact of history - it’s happening righ...

God Save the King and Rule Britannia! To mark the occasion of the crowning of Britain's new king and Canada's new head of state, this episode features a special guest from the other side of the Atlantic. Ann Widdecombe served as a Conservative Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons from 1987-2010. During that time, she held several Cabinet portfolios, and early on in her tenure, converted to the Catholic faith. She also held a seat in the European Parliament as a r...