#1708 Rent Asunder: From the Moderation of Pope Francis to Extremism of JD Vance, the Catholic Church is Deeply Divided

Air Date: 5-2-2025

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We're taking the passing of Pope Francis as an opportunity to explore the deeper political implications of the extremist, rightward turn for some in the Catholic Church, including many recent converts.

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KEY POINTS

KP 1: Why Pope Francis successor could have great influence on U.S. politics - MSNBC Reports - Air Date 4-23-25

KP 2: Trump Purges Military Leaders And Angela Denker On The Radicalization Of White Men - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 2-25-25

KP 3: The Meaning of Pope Francis - Know Your Enemy - Air Date 4-25-25

KP 4: Weekly Roundup The Pope, JD Vance, and Anti-Christian Bias - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 4-25-25

KP 5: Opus Dei A Catholic Cult with Gareth Gore - Free Thought Matters - Air Date 2-20-25

KP 6: To Understand JD Vance, You Need to Meet the TheoBros - Mother Jones - Air Date 10-2-24

KP 7: The Radical Catholic Right from Paul Weyrich to JD Vance Part 1 - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 9-23-24


() NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

On the benefits of democracy


DEEPER DIVES

() SECTION A: THE POPE

A1: The Meaning of Pope Francis Part 2 - Know Your Enemy - Air Date 4-25-25

A2: The Global Politics Of Picking A New Pope - Brian Lehrer A Daily Politics Podcast - Air Date 4-24-25

A3: JD & The Pope - The Majority Report - Air Date 4-26-25


() SECTION B: IN POLICY

B1: The Architects of Division w Katherine Stewart - Future Hindsight - Air Date 3-27-25

B2: Religious directives at Catholic hospitals complicate emergency care for pregnant women - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 4-24-25

B3: Weekly Roundup The Pope, JD Vance, and Anti-Christian Bias Part 2 - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 4-25-25


() SECTION C: POST-LIBERAL CATHOLICS

C1: How MAGA is SPLITTING The Catholic Church WTF 2.0 Part 1 - The Bulwark - Air Date 2-19-25

C2: The Architects of Division w Katherine Stewart Part 2 - Future Hindsight - Air Date 3-27-25

C3: The Radical Catholic Right from Paul Weyrich to JD Vance Part 1 Part 2 - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 9-23-24

C4: How MAGA is SPLITTING The Catholic Church WTF 2.0 Part 2 - The Bulwark - Air Date 2-19-25

C5: Opus Dei A Catholic Cult with Gareth Gore Part 2 - Free Thought Matters - Air Date 2-20-25


() SECTION D: MEN

D1: The radicalization of young white men in America - Faith and Feminism - Air Date 4-22-25

D2: TheoBros and the Misguided Quest for Male Supremacy - This Week In White Supremacy Podcast - Air Date 11-18-24

D3: Why are more young men going to church - Not Stupid - Air Date 2-16-25

D4: The radicalization of young white men in America Part 2 - Faith and Feminism - Air Date 4-22-25

D5: Trump Purges Military Leaders And Angela Denker On The Radicalization Of White Men Part 2 - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 2-25-25


SHOW IMAGE CREDITS 

Description: Composite image. Showing a disgruntled looking JD Vance looking toward an image of Pope Francis smiling while blessing a child in a crowd. A quote in a box says “What is built on the basis of force, and not on the truth about the equal dignity of every human being, begins badly, and will end badly.”

Credit: Design by A. Hoffman | Components: “JD Vance” Gage Skidmore, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped, used in composite |  Blessing of children pope” by ansehen, Pixabay | License: Pixabay

 

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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