The swift elevation to the papacy of Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost—known simply as ‘Bob’ among his fellow Augustinian friars—defied pundits’ predictions even as it was met with joy by Catholics around the world.  It’s impossible to say just how Leo XIV’s papacy will unfold, though in his early Masses and remarks the pope has already voiced strong support for the continuation of Francis’s project of synodality. Leo’s chosen name signals his commitment to the advancement of Catholic social teaching. On this episode, Commonweal contributors Natalia Imperatori-Lee and Mollie Wilson O’Reilly and editor Dominic Preziosi reflect on Pope Leo’s first week on the chair of Peter.  For further reading:  The editors on Leo’s election Anthony Annett on Pope Leo and AI Stephen Millies on Leo and Chicago’s CTU Massimo Faggioli on what Leo’s pontificate signals for the U.S. Church

Three theologians—Massimo Faggioli, Susan Bigelow Reynolds, and Terence Sweeney—reflect with Commonweal editors on the pope’s legacy. More coverage of the death of Pope Francis: Isabella Simon on Let Us Dream César J. Baldelomar on Laudato Si’  Griffin Oleynick on Evangelii gaudium

Catholics listen to snippets of the Bible read every Sunday, but how many of them actually sit with and ponder the text?  It’s long been a truism that Catholics don’t actually read the Bible — at least not as much or in the same way as their Protestant brethren. But that doesn’t mean Catholics don’t encounter it, whether in books, films, plays, or popular culture.  On this episode, Fordham theology professor and frequent Commonweal contributor Michael Peppard, author of the new book How Catholics Encounter the Bible,  joins editor Dominic Preziosi to discuss how, paradoxically, the Bible shapes Catholic lives—just usually not in the shape of a book.  For further reading: Michael Peppard on the Bible and Marian art Christian Wiman on the Bible as poetry Eve Tushnet on the queer Catholic imagination

What should great fiction do for us? That’s the question asked by Edwin Frank, editorial director of New York Review Books and author of Stranger than Fiction: Lives of the Twentieth-Century Novel.  Good books—and there were many written during the past hundred years—can entertain, just as they can give us pleasure. But great ones have the ‘power to breach,’ that is, to upset and provoke us, shattering our illusions about the world.  On this episode, Frank speaks with Commonweal contributor and literary critic Tony Domestic about authors like Dostoevsy, Proust, and Virginia Woolf, among others. For further reading: Fiction by Alice McDermott Mollie Wilson O’Reilly on George Eliot’s double life  Tony Domestico’s latest books column 

In his first month back in office, Donald Trump has made cruelty toward migrants and refugees central to his agenda, while J. D. Vance has used his flawed understanding of Catholic social teaching to justify the administration’s plans for mass deportation.  Their actions and remarks have alarmed many in the Church. On this episode, three guests tell us how and why. Massimo Faggioli, Commonweal contributor and Villanova University professor addresses the challenges for Catholicism in the second Trump era.  Kerry Robinson, the head of Catholic Charities USA, explains the vital work of her organization and who will be most harmed by the freezes in federal funding.  And Cardinal Blase Cupich of the Archdiocese of Chicago speaks about why “the protection and advocacy for the dignity of migrants” is the Church’s new “preeminent urgency.” For further reading:  Massimo Faggioli on what American regime change means for the Church Griffin Oleynick on Francis’s rebuke of J. D. Vance’s ethno-nationalism Terence Sweeney on how the bishops may respond to Trump

Fights over federal spending usually follow a predictable pattern, with Republicans attempting to cut entitlement programs as Democrats seek to expand the social safety net.  One thing that’s rarely threatened, though, is Social Security, a testament to the political clout of “older people”—formerly known as “senior citizens” in America. How did things get that way?  On this episode, historian James Chappel speaks about his recent book Golden Years: How Americans Invented and Reinvented Old Age, which details the creation of Social Security as it criticizes the failure of the political left to make its benefits more broadly available.  For further reading:  Peter Quinn on aging, aging, and gratitude Rand Richards Cooper on caring for aging parents James Chappel on material insecurity Charles Morris on the future of social security

For as long as humans beings have existed, we have had a knack for forgetting—not only when memory proves difficult, but when it becomes inconvenient.  We need only look at Donald Trump’s pardoning of the January 6 “hostages” for the latest, most egregious example.  Why do humans long to forget? Why do we hide the truth from ourselves? What is the function of memory in democratic societies?  On this episode, senior editor Matt Boudway speaks with Mark Lilla, professor of humanities at Columbia University and author of the new book Ignorance and Bliss: On Wanting not to Know. For further reading:  Matt Boudway on a memoir by Julian Barnes Tal Howard reviews Mark Lilla’s Shipwrecked Mind Timothy Snyder on the indignity of voting for Donald Trump  Tomáš Halík on what some in the Church prefer to forget

As you probably know by now, 2024 was a big year for Commonweal, marking one hundred years of continuous publication.  It was also an important one for the podcast, which for five years—and nearly one hundred and fifty episodes—has been bringing you reflective conversations with inspiring writers, thinkers, artists, and political and religious leaders.  On this episode, we’re revisiting four of our favorite episodes from the past year: Marilynne Robinson and Christian Wiman on Genesis Anastasia Berg and Rachel Wiseman on the ethics of having children Vinson Cunningham on criticism as a way of life Rabbi Shai Held on Judaism’s loving heart. 

What does it mean to “have hope,” especially during challenging times? Is it something we can possess, like a talisman to ward off despair? No, argues Norman Wirzba, distinguished professor of Christian theology at Duke and author of the new book Love’s Braided Dance: Hope in a Time of Crisis. Instead, “hope” is a verb—an action we have to do. On this episode Wirzba explains how he manages to hope, even in the face of some of our most intractable problems—including war, migration, and the climate crisis. For further reading:  Oscar Romero on politics and Christian love Vincent Miller on Pope Francis’s ecological hope Eric Miller on the fiction of Wendell Berry

In the wake of the 2024 election, many are wondering how to make sense of the results—including how a capable, qualified woman could lose to a man like Donald Trump, an adjudicated rapist whose campaign regularly celebrated a version of masculinity that many find offensively misogynistic.  On this episode, Commonweal editor-at-large Mollie Wilson O’Reilly and Natalia Imperatori Lee, professor of religious studies at Manhattan University, reflect on what just happened. They also parse what the second Trump administration might portend for Democrats, the Church, and especially women. It’s long past time, they argue, not only for men to confront sexism and misogyny, but to work to articulate healthy versions of masculinity. Trump’s election may be a massive setback for feminism—but how the story ends depends on our response. For further reading:  Mollie Wilson O’Reilly ponders Trump’s 2016 election Regina Munch on why we can’t disengage The editors on why the appointment of Justice Brett Kavanaugh

The invitation-only Catholic prelature known as Opus Dei, founded in Spain in 1927 by the recently canonized priest Josemaría Escrivá, currently counts just around 3,000 members in the United States. Yet its influence, especially among rightwing Catholics who occupy significant posts in Washington, is vast.  On this episode, editor Dominic Preziosi speaks with financial journalist Gareth Gore, author of the new book Opus: The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking, and Right-Wing Conspiracy inside the Catholic Church.  Relying on bank records and the testimony of whistleblowers, Gore demystifies the secretive world of Opus Dei, showing how it has recruited powerful individuals and harmed vulnerable ones in its quest for political sway. For further reading:  Daniele Palmer on Opus Dei’s ‘ordinary secularity’ George Scialabba reviews Opus for The Baffler

It’s no secret that there’s a mental health crisis affecting young people in the United States. Rates of anxiety, symptoms of depression, and even suicide attempts have hit record highs.  That’s partly what motivated Anna Moreland and Thomas Smith to write The Young Adult Playbook, a kind of “self-help” book intended to help high school and college students think through the deep questions of life, love, and vocation.  On this episode, Moreland and Smith speak with associate editor Regina Munch about their book, explaining how young people can live rich, flourishing, and meaningful lives.  For further reading:  Meghan Sullivan and Paul Blaschko on the good life Regina Munch on the advantages of marriage Brenda Noriega on synodality, young people, and leadership

The Trump campaign has made us all too familiar with the ideology of Christian Nationalism, with its violent rhetoric and racist undertones.  Far less well-known, though, is the tradition of Black Christian Nationalism, a radical social and religious movement founded by Rev. Albert Cleage, Jr., in civil-rights-era Detroit. On this episode, associate editor Griffin Oleynick speaks with writer Aaron Robertson, author of The Black Utopians: Searching for Paradise and the Promised Land in America.  Blending history and memoir, Robertson’s book traces the untold story of Black Christian Nationalism while grappling with a question: what does Utopia look like in black? For further reading:  Tia Noelle Pratt on Black Catholic parishes Shannen Dee Williams on Black nuns in Baltimore Gary Dorrien on the theology of Sen. Raphael Warnock

Corporate boosters of artificial intelligence promise that the technology will vastly improve efficiency in the world of work. But is that actually desirable?  On this episode, associate editor Regina Munch speaks with University of Virginia sociologist Allison Pugh, whose new book The Last Human Job explores the concept of what she calls “connective labor”—interpersonal work that relies on empathy, human contact, and mutual recognition.  In fields like medicine, teaching, and even chaplaincy, such connective labor is increasingly performed by machines. Pugh challenges us to resist this trend, both by deprioritizing efficiency and by returning to authentic human relationships.  For further reading:  Miles Doyle on efforts to regulate AI in congress A symposium on our posthuman future The editors call for a moratorium on AI development

Garth Greenwell’s latest novel, Small Rain, is set in a midwestern ICU during the early days of the pandemic, as its unnamed narrator, a writer, experiences a health crisis and lies confined to his bed in excruciating pain.  In long pauses between visits with nurses and doctors, amid the weird dilations of ‘hospital time,’ the narrator muses on his suffering and disappointments, but also the nature of art and the ‘adventure’ of domestic life. On this episode, Greenwell joins Commonweal contributor Tony Domestico to talk about the novel.   For further reading: A review of Garth Greenwell’s Cleanness Another interview with Garth Greenwell

As the fall semester begins, colleges and universities are bracing for fresh controversies over free speech, affordability, and the disruptive potential of artificial intelligence.  On this episode, Tania Tetlow, the first layperson and first woman to serve as the president of Fordham University, joins editor Dominic Preziosi to weigh in on what Catholic colleges and universities can do differently.  If entering students increasingly hail from diverse religious backgrounds—or sometimes no faith background at all—that’s an opportunity for “mission,” pursued with openness, inclusivity, and a willingness to be proven wrong.  For further reading:  Nancy Dallavalle on whether Catholic colleges have a future Susan Bigelow Reynolds on public scholarship An interview with former UC Chancellor Nicholas Dirks

Religious disaffiliation, the drifting away of Americans from their churches, isn’t a new story. But it’s certainly a true one.  And yet it’s also not the whole story, as veteran New Yorker journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner Eliza Griswold argues in her new book, Circle of Hope: A Reckoning with Love, Power, and Justice in an American Church.  Griswold’s is a work of ‘immersion journalism,’ reported by embedding for four years with a progressive evangelical community in Philadelphia. She stuck with the story even as heated conflicts over race, gender, and power threatened the church’s survival.  On this episode, Griswold speaks about the book and the future of American Christianity, with Commonweal associate editor Griffin Oleynick.  For further reading:  Brett Hoover on young Catholics’ waning religiosity Kate Lucky on the ‘ex-vangelicals’ Julia Marley on the ‘Jesus Freaks’

The 2024 Paris Olympics have brought massive investment to the City of Light, including the construction of new housing, sports facilities, and public transportation.  Yet we shouldn’t let that obscure a more sinister phenomenon: gentrification, which has rapidly transformed many of the city’s former immigrant and working-class strongholds into expensive quarters for the newly affluent.  On this episode, Commonweal senior editor Matt Boudway speaks with journalist Cole Stangler, author of Paris Is Not Dead: Surviving Hypergentrification in the City of Light. Stangler, who lives in France, explains Paris’s historical transformation, as well as more recent developments in French politics.  For further reading: Cole Stangler’s writing for Commonweal Fran Quigley on social housing Max Holleran on gentrification and the YIMBYs

Alim Braxton, a convicted murderer who admits his guilt, has been incarcerated in North Carolina prison for more than thirty years, spending seven years in solitary confinement and many more on death row. He was once hopeless, but after his conversion to Islam many years ago, he began working for redemption by advocating for prison reform and the exoneration of innocent inmates.  Braxton is also a rapper, and just released his first album, along with a book, Rap and Redemption on Death Row, co-written with UNC Chapel Hill musicologist Mark Katz.  On this special episode, Commonweal’s Claudia Avila Cosnahan speaks with both Braxton and Katz about Braxton’s spiritual and artistic journey. For further reading:  Dominic Preziosi on Biden’s broken death penalty promise David Bentley Hart on Christians and capital punishment Burke Nixon on the Texas prison system

Egalitarianism remains one of the core tenets of most liberals and progressives. But does the idea that everyone ought to be equal in the sphere of political economy also hold true for the realm of culture?  Absolutely not, argues Becca Rothfeld, nonfiction book critic at the Washington Post and author of the debut collection All Things Are Too Small: Essays in Praise of Excess. The modern insistence that all cultural objects are “equal” is actually a symptom of our failure to create a society in which genuine equality is present.  That, Rothfeld insists, is why we need more of everything—more personhood, more sincerity, more critical judgment, and even more chaos. It’s the only way to overcome the ascendance of anodyne minimalism that has stifled contemporary culture.  On this episode, Rothfeld joins Commonweal senior editor Matthew Boudway to discuss her book, medieval mysticism, and more.  For further reading:  Costica Bradatan on the theology of Simone Weil Thomas Merton on whether mysticism is normal Matthew Boudway on the agony of Gerard Manley Hopkins