Podcasts

Jennifer Haigh’s novel, Faith, centers on a priest who is accused of sexual abuse in Boston in 2002 and his half-sister who sets out to find the truth. In this installment of America‘s Book Club, Kevin Spinale, S.J., describes the complex relationships among the Irish-Catholic family at the heart of the book, and explains why […]

Is the race for the Republican nomination Mitt Romney’s to lose? Will Sarah Palin ever decide whether to run, and can Michelle Bachmann pull a Mike Huckabee at the Iowa stroll poll next month? Can any of these candidates defeat President Obama, even at a time of growing unemployment? Matt Malone, S.J., former associate editor […]

James Martin, S.J., describes the devastating drought in Eastern Africa, and what Catholics can do to help, and Kerry Weber discusses the challenges facing unemployed workers who are now being told not apply for jobs if they have been out of work for an extended period. Kevin Spinale, S.J., reports on Google’s legal battle to […]

Agnes Nixon, the creator of “One Life to Live” and “All My Children,” talks about her Catholic childhood in Tennessee and the faith that spurred her to write on issues of social justice.

Tim Reidy joins Mike Avery and Tim O’Brien, S.J., two of America‘s summer interns, in a discussion of Mark Oppenheimer’s much-talked about article on Dan Savage’s views on monogamy and marriage. The roundtable also takes up Mickey Edward’s six-step plan to fix Congress, published in The Atlantic, and Daniel Okrent’s Last Call: The Rise and […]

How can a Catholic balance the demands of voting with the Christian call to holiness? Nicholas P. Cafardi, dean emeritus and professor of the Duquesne University School of Law, discusses his article in the current issue of America, “Keep Holy Election Day,” explaining why the values of holiness and conscientious citizenship need not be contrary. […]

Kevin Clarke hosts a discussion with fellow editors Raymond A. Schroth, S.J., and Francis X. Hezel, S.J., on Foreign Policy’s annual list of failed states, what risks these states pose to the international community and what role other nations should play in their rehabilitation. The editors also look at a growing sense of disappointment with […]

David Cortright, author of the new book Ending Obama’s War: Responsible Military Withdrawal from Afghanistan, offers a critique of President Obama’s recent speech on military policy in Afghanistan and outlines other options for assisting the Afghan people that do not include boots on the ground. Professor Cortright, the director of policy studies at the Joan […]

The editors discuss a new “biography” of St. Augustine’s Confessions, the art of collecting art and the demands of homework. With Kerry Weber, Karen Sue Smith and Edward W. Schmidt, S.J. This is part of a series of podcasts featuring the editors of America discussing items of cultural and political interest.

Jason Berry’s new book, Render Unto Rome, looks at the financial structure of the Catholic Church from the parish level to the Vatican. What happens when a Catholic puts money in the collection plate? What kind of financial reports are offered by diocesan leaders? How big of a problem is embezzlement? Berry, a longtime investigative […]