Podcasts

Ambassador Miguel Diaz talks about Pope Francis's upcoming visit to Cuba in light of his own Cuban-American upbringing and his time as U.S. ambassador to the Holy See.

Andrea Mercado is co-chair of “We Belong Together: Women for Common Sense Immigration Reform.” Their initiative, “100 Women 100 Miles” involves 100 women walking 100 miles, from a detention center in York County, PA to Washington, D.C.,  to shed light on immigration issues when Pope Francis meets with President Barack Obama. 

Dino Mujanović, country representative for Catholic Relief Services in Serbia, offers his perspective on Europe's accelerating refugee crisis. “At this moment there is a huge humanitarian failure,” he said. “Those numbers are increasing day by day, people are coming, desperate, exhausted, robbed on the way, seeking shelter in Western Europe.”

Joseph P. Parkes, S.J., talks about the national network of Cristo Rey schools, which provide college preparatory education to young people who live in urban communities with limited educational options.

Mayor Mitch Landrieu of New Orleans looks back at the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina and the city's revival in the 10 years since. Read Father Matt Malone's reporting from the Katrina cleanup here.  

Kevin Ahern talks about his new book Structures of Grace: Catholic Organizations serving the Global Common Good, which profiles Catholic groups like Jesuit Refugee Service and the Plowshares movement that embody Christian solidarity by addressing the urgent human issues of our day.

Jennifer Fulwiler speaks about atheism, conversion and raising a Catholic family. She is the author, most recently, of the e-book, Like Living Among Scorpions: One Woman's Quest to Survive Her Suburban Life.

Former Senator George Mitchell talks about his Catholic upbringing in Maine, his work with Bob Dole in the Senate and his participation in the peace process of Northern Ireland. He is the author of The Negotiator: A Memoir.

Dan-el Padilla Peralta discusses growing up as an undocumented immigrant in New York and how studying the classics helped him better understand his experience. He is the author of Undocumented: A Dominican Boy's Odyssey From a Homeless Shelter to the Ivy League.

Gerard O'Connell talks about traveling with Pope Francis to South America and looks forward to his visit to the United States and Cuba in September.  America's exclusive coverage of Pope Francis and his upcoming trip to the United States is made possible by our America Associates.