Bringing Fulton Sheen Back to Life — As an AI Hologram

As bishops from around the world gathered in Rome Oct. 7 to commemorate Pope Francis' Amoris Laetitia ten years after its publication, a Catholic publisher once at the center of a Vatican controversy has returned with a new book on love and marriage. In 2014, Ignatius Press distributed "Remaining in the Truth of Christ," a defense of traditional Catholic teaching on marriage that many commentators interpreted as opposing Cardinal Walter Kasper's proposal to allow some divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Communion. The book became a source of controversy during the Synod on the Family. Now, representatives of the publisher have presented Pope Leo XIV with "YOUCAT Love Forever," a new guide to love and marriage for young Catholics that draws on Amoris Laetitia. In this episode, Jesuit Father Joseph Fessio, founder of Ignatius Press, and its president, Mark Brumley, revisit the controversy surrounding the earlier book. Father Fessio reflects on Pope Francis' pontificate, the challenges of defending Catholic orthodoxy, and what has changed under Pope Leo XIV. Brumley explains why the publisher challenged prevailing views during the synod, whether Amoris Laetitia represented a break with Church tradition, and why he sees continuity between the two pontificates. Ignatius Press editor Thomas Jacobi also discusses the new YOUCAT book, its origins under Pope Francis, and Pope Leo's message to young people about love and marriage. Guest bios: Father Joseph Fessio, SJ, is the founder of Ignatius Press, one of the leading Catholic publishing houses in the United States. A Jesuit priest and theologian, he earned his doctorate under Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI, and has spent decades publishing works on Catholic theology, philosophy and culture. Mark Brumley is the president of Ignatius Press. A Catholic author, editor and apologist, he has worked extensively in Catholic publishing and religious education and helped oversee the publication of "Remaining in the Truth of Christ" in the run-up to the 2014 Synod on the Family. Thomas Jacobi is an associate editor at Ignatius Press, where he works on editorial projects and manuscript acquisitions. He contributed to the English-language edition of "YOUCAT Love Forever," a new guide to Catholic teaching on love, sexuality and marriage that draws on Amoris Laetitia.

As bishops from around the world gather in Rome for a meeting convened by Pope Leo XIV on marriage and the family, J.P. De Gance has been working behind the scenes to help the Church understand what's at stake. His organization, Communio, produced a report on the state of marriage in America, providing research and analysis to inform today's discussions ten years after Pope Francis published "Amoris Laetitia." In this conversation, De Gance reveals why he believes the Catholic Church has failed to respond adequately to the collapse of marriage. He explains why Catholic marriages have declined dramatically in the United States, why most parishes spend too little on marriage ministry, and how the decline of the family may be driving the crisis of faith. He also discusses his conversations with bishops from around the world, whether Pope Francis' reforms have made a practical difference, and what Pope Leo's gathering could accomplish. Guest bio: J.P. De Gance is the founder and president of Communio, a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening marriages and families through churches. Previously involved in public policy, he turned his attention to marriage renewal following a family crisis that brought four nieces and nephews into his home. His work has included a major initiative in Jacksonville, Florida, where 93 churches participated in a program associated with a 24% decline in the local divorce rate over three years. Communio has since worked with nearly 600 churches and parishes in 44 U.S. dioceses.

Monsignor Karel Kasteel has worked in the Vatican for 70 years and served under eight popes, beginning with Pope Pius XII. Now 92, he has witnessed some of the most consequential moments in the modern history of the Catholic Church, including the Second Vatican Council, the 2005 conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI, and decades of change inside the Roman Curia. In this conversation, Monsignor Kasteel reflects on what outsiders misunderstand about the Vatican, why he believes there is far more holiness than wrongdoing inside the Curia, and what has changed over seven decades. He recalls working at the Second Vatican Council, explains why he believes the Council was necessary and remains unfinished, discusses tensions between Pope Francis and the Roman Curia, and shares what he thinks Pope Leo XIV is trying to accomplish. He also takes on Vatican legends and controversies, including politics inside conclaves, alleged spies and secret societies, the death of Pope John Paul I, the “Siri thesis,” the Third Secret of Fatima, and the disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi. Guest bio: Monsignor Karel Kasteel is a Dutch priest who arrived in Rome in 1956 and has spent seven decades working in and around the Roman Curia. He assisted the secretary general of the Second Vatican Council and was present throughout the Council. He later served as dean of the Apostolic Chamber and helped organize the 2005 conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI. Over the course of his Vatican career, he has served under eight popes and worked closely with figures including Mother Teresa, giving him a rare firsthand perspective on the modern history of the papacy and the Catholic Church. Archival images from the Filmoteca Vaticana. For more archival footage from the Second Vatican Council, watch our full-length documentary, Voices of Vatican II: https://youtu.be/Xqh_0wqTz2M?si=tz8Ciz6d_qVp6VAj Original music was created using AI.

In the days before Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic visit to France, the famous mosaics at Lourdes by Father Marko Rupnik, a priest and artist accused of sexual abuse, have been covered up. Investigative journalist Federica Tourn, who published the first interview with one of Father Rupnik’s accusers in 2022, has followed the case closely ever since. In this conversation, Tourn explains why the mosaics were covered up ahead of the pope’s visit and what the decision means for the women who have accused Father Rupnik of abuse. What do victims want from Pope Leo? Why is Father Rupnik’s artwork being concealed in France while new mosaics are celebrated at a major shrine in Brazil? And why has the Vatican’s ongoing trial yet to produce a verdict? The discussion traces Father Rupnik’s rise to prominence in the Catholic Church, the allegations against him and the Church’s response. Tourn discusses her reporting on 22 letters alleging abuse dating back to the 1990s, the secrecy surrounding the Vatican proceedings and the sources who have helped her investigation. She also reflects on why survivors trusted her with their stories, the unanswered questions surrounding Father Rupnik’s considerable artistic earnings and what genuine transparency would mean for the Church. This episode features an AI-generated English dub of Federica Tourn’s voice. The transcript and translation were reviewed and edited by CNS staff. Original music was created using AI. Guest bio: Federica Tourn is an Italian investigative journalist who has spent years reporting on sexual abuse and alleged cover-ups in the Catholic Church, particularly in Italy. In December 2022, she published an interview with Gloria Branciani, one of the women accusing Father Marko Rupnik of sexual abuse, in the Italian newspaper Domani. She has continued investigating the case, speaking with survivors, clergy and Vatican sources, and reporting on the handling of abuse allegations within the Church.

Mary Angela Schroth has spent more than 40 years working in the art world in Rome, much of that time at the Pontifical Sanctuary of the Holy Stairs. There, she helped launch and guide a decades-long effort with the Vatican Museums and international donors to restore the sanctuary’s extraordinary Renaissance frescoes -- images that had been obscured by centuries of dirt, pollution, candle smoke and neglect. In this conversation, Schroth tells the inside story of the Holy Stairs, traditionally believed to be the steps Jesus climbed before being judged by Pontius Pilate. How did they come to Rome? Why were the frescoes surrounding them nearly invisible for centuries? And what did it take to bring the sanctuary back to life? The discussion explores the origins of Christian Rome, the restoration campaign supported by the Getty Foundation and Vatican Museums, the discoveries made as the frescoes emerged again, and the donors who helped make the project possible. Schroth also reflects on how the work deepened her own Catholic faith, the extraordinary spiritual experiences pilgrims have reported at the Holy Stairs, and why the sanctuary’s central theme -- the suffering of Christ -- still speaks to the universal question of human suffering. Guest bio: Mary Angela Schroth is an American curator and arts administrator based in Rome. For more than four decades, she has worked with Sala Uno, the nonprofit contemporary art space she founded with priest and sculptor Tito Amodei at the complex of the Pontifical Sanctuary of the Holy Stairs. She played a central role in developing and supporting the long-term conservation of the sanctuary’s frescoes in collaboration with the Vatican Museums and international benefactors.