In our polarized society today, the need for civil dialogue is great. So how do we approach that dialogue as Catholics? And what are some of the tools from our faith tradition that we can use in overcoming polarization?   This episode of “The Gloria Purvis Podcast” features a panel discussion between Cardinal Robert McElroy of San Diego, Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minn., and Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Tex. The conversation includes reflections on their roles as...

Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, we’re releasing a mini-season that covers the importance of forming our consciences and voting, what to do when you don’t feel you entirely belong to either party, polarization in the church, racial justice and recognition of human dignity in our society.  On this episode of “The Gloria Purvis Podcast,” Gloria speaks with Sam Sawyer, S.J., the editor in chief of America Magazine. In early September 2024, Pope Francis was asked what advice he would...

What is a Christian understanding of forgiveness? And does it necessarily involve reconciliation or the abatement of anger?  On the final episode of this season, Gloria welcomes Reverend Matthew Ichihashi Potts on “The Gloria Purvis Podcast” to discuss the subject of forgiveness. Reverend Potts is an Episcopalian minister and professor of Christian Morals at Harvard University. He is also the author of the new book, Forgiveness: An Alternative Account, a probing study that draws upon...

If there’s one thing that pro-life and pro-choice advocates can agree upon, its that the cost of having a baby is significant, and often a deterrent for mothers carrying to term.  “So the average privately-insured person pays about $2,800 to give birth out of pocket,” says Kristen Day, the Executive Director of Democrats For Life of America. “And one in six new parents pay over $5,000. But those women without insurance pay thousands more, up to $20,000.” For the penultimate episode of the...

Gloria speaks with Dr. Laura Masur, an assistant professor in the department of anthropology at The Catholic University of America. Dr. Masur has been one of the archeologists excavating enslaved communities on former plantations owned by the Society of Jesus in Maryland. They ask if and how we can reconcile the early American missionary work, especially of the Jesuits, with the grave sin of slavery. Please consider supporting this podcast by becoming a digital subscriber to America...

Conversations around sex and gender today are rife with acrimony and seemingly irreconcilable viewpoints. It can be hard to find places of agreement or even commonly held definitions. But Elizabeth Sweeny Block and Abigail Favale are two Catholic scholars who have modeled civil debate around sex and gender in the pages of America and do so again this week on “The Gloria Purvis Podcast.” Dr. Elizabeth Sweeny Block is an associate professor of Christian ethics at Saint Louis University, and Dr....

In honor of Black History Month, Cornel West and Robert George join the Gloria Purvis Podcast to talk about what Black joy and resistance mean to them. West and George are currently touring the country to speak at various universities about the centrality of truth-seeking to higher education. They are both prolific intellectual giants, who require very little introduction, but whose friendship is an inspiration. Dr. Cornel West teaches on the works of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, as well as courses...

When you think Mardi Gras, you might think king cake, colorful beads thrown from parades, and as much debauchery as one can manage before the Lenten season of repentance begins the following day. Maybe you’ve wondered whether Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is even a Catholic holiday given the day’s deluge of decadence.  Mardi Gras is not only Catholic, it’s French, Creole, African-American, African and Native American. And there are layers to this ornate carnival that reveal a powerful history...

There’s an intellectual movement afoot called “Catholic Integralism.” It’s being discussed in academic colloquia, twitter, and lots of pockets of the church. But how should we understand this movement? On the Gloria Purvis Podcast, Gloria speaks with Dr. Jason Blakely, a political scholar and professor at Pepperdine University, about this burgeoning trend of Catholic integralism.  Integralism rejects liberalism in the broad sense as “an ideological tradition that holds that individual rights...

Dr. Meg Chisolm is no stranger to mental illness. She’s suffered from several serious bouts of depression that brought her close to taking her own life. She was fortunate to get the help she needed and then went on to become a psychiatrist and professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Meg is an author of a psychiatric textbook and a book on psychiatric illness for patients and families, From Survive to Thrive: Living Your Best Life...

The Super Bowl is one the largest sporting events in the country. Tens of thousands will flock to the stadium and millions will watch from home. However, at events like these, it is essential we not only keep track of the game, but also, the potential victims of human trafficking that are most vulnerable at these large gatherings. In fact, every year 50 million people are trafficked somewhere in the world for either labor or sex. Joining Gloria on “The Gloria Purvis Podcast” is Sr. Anne...

In July 1794, sixteen members of the Carmel of Compiegne, France, were executed under the guillotine in the final days of the French Revolution’s “Reign of Terror.” They are called venerated martyrs in the Catholic Church, who sang “Salve Regina” and other hymns all the way to their deaths. Their story of faith and perseverance has inspired a novella, movies, and now an opera, Francis Poulenc’s “Dialogues des Carmélites,” drawn from John Dexter’s classic 1977 production. Gloria...

The first March for Life began in the year following the Roe v. Wade Decision (1973). Now that Roe has been overturned by the Supreme Court, what will happen to the March of Life and the pro-life movement more broadly? Today, Gloria speaks with Jeanne Mancini, the President of the national March for Life since the fall of 2012. In this capacity, she proudly directs the small non-profit organization committed to restoring a culture of life in the United States, most notably through the annual...

Do you squirm every time you listen to a reading from one of St. Paul’s letters calling women to be submissive to their husbands or to remain silent in church? In this episode of the Gloria Purvis Podcast, Gloria digs into the sticky “household codes” that St. Paul outlines in the New Testament with historian Beth Allison Barr, author of the bestselling book, The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth. Gloria and Beth discuss the Christian Evangelical...

While claiming a Christian and pro-life worldview, Kanye West–now known as Ye–has steeped himself in scandal over blatant anti-Black and antisemitic remarks. In October, he donned a “White Lives Matter” t-shirt with an image of Pope St. John Paul II on the front. Missing from his highly controversial remarks and actions has been any recognition of the harm done to Jews and Black people. That's an important omission, according to Binta Niambi Brown, a talent manager in the music and...

Most Catholics only hear the Bible interpreted by men–priests and deacons–in the context of Sunday Mass. Jaime Waters, Associate Professor of Old Testament at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, believes that's a disadvantage for the whole church. For the past three years, she's written "The Word" column at America Media. She joins Gloria Purvis to discuss the importance of Bible scholarship and interpretation from women's perspectives. Looking to Advent, they discuss the "O...

On Nov. 22, 2022, five representatives of America Media, including Gloria Purvis, interviewed Pope Francis at his residence at Santa Marta at the Vatican. They discussed a wide range of topics with the pope, including polarization in the U.S. church, the role of bishops, racism, the war in Ukraine, the Vatican’s relations with China and church teaching on the ordination of women. Matt Malone, S.J., who is departing as editor in chief after ten years of leading America Media, was also present...

Exclusive: Pope Francis denounces polarization, talks women’s ordination, the U.S. bishops and more in a new interview with America Media! It’s an exciting time for America Media! We've transformed the organization under the leadership of Matt Malone, S.J. into a modern media entity that leads the conversation on faith and culture. There is no doubt that this transformation will continue at America under the leadership of Traug Keller, president and Father Sam Sawyer, SJ, 15th editor in...

This week on “The Gloria Purvis Podcast,” Gloria speaks with the Rev. Thomas Burke, the pastor of St. Benedict the Moor Catholic Church in Pittsburgh, Pa., about the importance of establishing personal parishes for Black Catholics.  When Bishop David Zubik first announced this personal parish there was a negative response from some white Catholics, who didn’t understand the need for a liturgy and community that reflected the unique cultural legacy of Black Catholics.  To those critical of the...

Gloria speaks with Greg Hillis, Professor of Theology & Religious Studies at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky. In the last few years Prof. Hillis has turned his attention to the life and writings of Thomas Merton, the famous Trappist monk from Kentucky whose literary estate is housed at the Merton Center at Bellarmine University. In addition to his book on Thomas Merton - "Man of Dialogue": Thomas Merton's Catholic Vision - Prof. Hillis is currently working on a book-length...

Archbishop Cordileone returns to the podcast to discuss his opposition to the death penalty. Archbishop Cordileone: It is past time to strike down the death penalty Support this podcast by purchasing a digital subscription to America Magazine here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bible has been invoked in defense of slavery and to overthrow it. Some saints have confronted slavery, while others have turned a blind eye, or worse, developed theological arguments to support it. The Catholic church has a mixed history, especially when it comes to chattel slavery, and its one we should know about.  This week, Gloria interviews Chris Kellerman, SJ. about his new book,  All Oppression Shall Cease: A History of Slavery, Abolitionism and The Catholic Church.   Chris brings...

Did you know that Black women are more likely to die from preventable childbirth complications than white women? Or that Black women make up less than 2 percent of psychiatrists? This week on “The Gloria Purvis Podcast,” Gloria speaks with Dr. Amanda Joy Calhoun about the deep vestiges of racism in our medical institutions and the strategies she is using to challenge and correct them in her own practice. Dr. Calhoun is an adult and child psychiatry resident at the Yale School of Medicine. She...

On this episode, Gloria speaks with Professor Jessica Hooten Wilson, author of several books including The Scandal of Holiness, Reading for the Love of God, and Giving the Devil his Due: Flannery O’Connor and The Brothers Karamazov, which received a 2018 Christianity Today Book of the Year Award in the Culture & the Arts. Gloria and Jessica dive deep into the Catholic imagination–exploring writers like Toni Morrison and the medieval mystic Julian of Norwich. She also believes in...