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In The Social Doctrine of the Church, Michael Vacca and Robert Fastiggi interview Catholics with an understanding of the various ways in which Catholic Social Doctrine is understood and practiced.
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Episodes
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27 JAN 2026 · In this episode of The Social Doctrine of the Church, Dr. Robert Fastiggi and Michael Vacca interview Fr. Peter Ryan, SJ, on Catholic Social Teaching and Gender Ideology.
Questions
- What is meant by gender ideology?
- How does gender ideology relate to Catholic social doctrine?
- What are the factors that have contributed to the spread of gender ideology?
- What is meant by gender dysphoria? Is it a psychiatric disorder or something caused by concupiscence or sin?
- How does gender ideology violate the natural law?
- How does gender ideology violate a sound biblical and Christian anthropology?
- Are there certain philosophical errors such as dualism behind gender ideology?
- What are the risks and dangers involved with procedures to transition to the opposite sex?
- Are there people who regret their efforts to transition to the opposite sex?
- How should the Church respond pastorally to those affected by gender ideology (e.g. those who have tried to transition to the opposite sex, family members, friends, educators, etc.)?
- What Church documents or resources would you recommend for Catholics who wish to know more about the challenge of gender ideology?
Transcribed
19 DEC 2025 · In this episode of The Social Doctrine of the Church, Dr. Robert Fastiggi and Michael Vacca interview Andrew Likoudis on his edited volume Faith in Crisis: Critical Dialogues in Catholic Traditionalism, Church Authority, and Reform.
Faith in Crisis equips Catholics to navigate today’s fiercest ecclesial debates. With a foreword by philosopher-statesman Rocco Buttiglione, the volume unfolds in three sections:
Traditionalism — exposes the roots of fundamentalist rigor, private-revelation subcultures, and reactionary dissent.
Church Authority — outlines papal primacy, collegiality, and the distinction between the ordinary and extraordinary Magisterium—showing how trust erodes and how to rebuild it.
Reform — revisits Vatican II and the postconciliar reforms, synodality, ecumenism, and interreligious dialogue, showing that legitimate change is always a reform in continuity.
Amid a polarized media atmosphere and doctrinal fog, these essays offer the clarity and pastoral realism Catholics need to remain anchored in a Faith ever ancient, ever new.
https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/faithincrisis/
Questions asked:
- Your recently edited a book entitled Faith in Crisis: Critical Dialogues in Catholic Traditionalism, Church Authority & Reform, published by En Route Books & Media. Can you tell us why you edited this book and how it touches on Catholic social doctrine?
- One of the chapters in this book is entitled “Catholic Clickbait: Digital Media & Outrage Culture in the Church.” You are the author of this chapter (as well as 2 others). You begin this chapter by noting several guidelines provided by the Catholic Church on the proper use of social media. What are these guidelines and where can they be found?
- How has the online culture of the Internet affected the Catholic culture of social communication in ways that are positive and negative?
- In your chapter you discuss the guidance of the Church on disagreement and dialogue. What are the guidelines offered by the Church in this regard?
- In what ways do you see these guidelines being violated by online Catholic discourse today?
- In your chapter you mention the abuses of detraction and calumny. How are we to understand these terms? What would be some examples of calumny and detraction in Catholic online postings in recent years?
- How are we to distinguish responsible requests for clarification regarding certain magisterial documents from open dissent or hostility? What guidance can you offer?
Transcribed
18 DEC 2025 · In this episode of The Social Doctrine of the Church, Michael Vacca and Robert Fastiggi interview Daniel Gallagher on Fratelli Tutti.
- How does Pope Francis’s 2020 encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, align itself with social encyclicals of prior popes and how is it unique?
- Why do you think Pope Francis issued this encyclical?
- In chapter one, Pope Francis speaks of “dark clouds over the world.” What are these dark clouds and what does Pope Francis offer by way of hope?
- In chapter two, Pope Francis reflects on the Parable of the Good Samaritan. What does he believe this parable teaches us today?
- In chapter three, no. 120, Pope Francis generated some controversy with this passage: For my part, I would observe that “the Christian tradition has never recognized the right to private property as absolute or inviolable, and has stressed the social purpose of all forms of private property”. The principle of the common use of created goods is the “first principle of the whole ethical and social order” it is a natural and inherent right that takes priority over others. The word “inviolable” is actually “untouchable” in the Italian, Spanish, and French texts of the encyclical (intoccabile, intocable, intouchable), but it’s not clear whether this is that significant. Some critics, though, claim that Pope Francis is contradicting prior Catholic teaching on the inviolability of private property. Others, though, point to no. 47 of Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical, Rerum Novarum, which recognizes the right of the State to control the use of private property “in the interests of the public good alone, but by no means to absorb it altogether” (no. 47). What are your thoughts on the controversy generated by Frattelli Tutti, no. 120?
- In Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis offers some thoughts on war and the death penalty. Why have his positions on war and the death penalty generated so much controversy?
- You published an article criticizing Fratelli Tutti for not being sufficiently Christocentric? What did you mean by this criticism and how does it relate to how Pope Francis describes the encounter of St. Francis of Assisi with The Egyptian Sultan, Malec-el-Kamal?
- Pope Francis ends Fratelli Tutti with an ecumenical Christian prayer. Does this not show a Christian inspiration to the encyclical? 9. How would summarize the strengths and weaknesses of the encyclical?
Transcribed
19 NOV 2025 · In this episode of The Social Doctrine of the Church, Robert Fastiggi interviews Riccardo Cascioli on stewardship of the environment.
- The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1997), nos. 2415–2418 speaks of respect for the integrity of creation? What does this mean?
- The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (2005) devotes a whole chapter on “Safeguarding the Environment.” Do you believe safeguarding the environment is a legitimate concern for Catholic social doctrine?
- In 2015, Pope Francis published his encyclical, Laudato Si’, on care for our common home. In 2023, he issued his apostolic exhortation, Laudate Deum on the climate crisis. What do you believe are the strengths and weaknesses of these documents?
- In his message to the bishops of the Amazon on August 18, 2025, Pope Leo XIV spoke of the need to be “diligent stewards” of natural goods, but he also warned about not being “a slave or worshiper of nature.” Why do you believe he felt the need to issue this warning?
- On November 7, 2025, Pope Leo XIV sent a message to the participants of the 30th session of the UN Convention on Climate Change (COP30) meeting in Bélem, Brazil. What are your thoughts about Pope Leo’s message?
- Are there any other concerns about Catholic social doctrine and the environment that you would like to share?
Transcribed
13 NOV 2025 · In this episode of "The Social Doctrine of the Church," Michael Vacca and Robert Fastiggi interview Diego Passadore on Catholic Social Doctrine from a Latin American perspective.
- How did Vatican II develop Catholic social doctrine? Was there some kind of pact made by some bishops at the council?
- What do you think is the Latin American perspective on Catholic social doctrine?
- What is your perspective on liberation theology?
- Do you think Pope Leo's Delixi Te reflects a Latin American perspective?
- How does the Virgin Mary relate to Catholic social doctrine?
The English translations of the 4 Episcopal Latin America Conferences mentioned in the interview:
Medellín https://archive.org/details/churchinpresentd0000unse/mode/2up
Puebla https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780883443996/mode/2up
Santo Domingo https://archive.org/details/newevangelizatio0000conf/mode/2up
Aparecida https://www.celam.org/aparecida/Ingles.pdf
Transcribed
31 OCT 2025 · In this episode of The Social Doctrine of the Church, Michael Vacca and Robert Fastiggi interview Msgr. Piotr Mazurkiewicz on Catholic Doctrine, Solidarity, and the International Community (October 31, 2025)
- According to Catholic social doctrine, what is meant by the State?
- What are some dangerous visions of the State (e.g. totalitarian visions, etc.)?
- How should the State promote the common good?
- How does subsidiarity factor into the promotion of the common good?
- What are human rights and how should the State promote human rights?
- How does Catholic social doctrine try to balance the notion of the international community with State sovereignty? Do you believe institutions like the United Nations respect State sovereignty?
- You have written a book on migration? How are some views of migration threatening State sovereignty today? What do you think is the proper Catholic perspective on migration in the world today?
For more, see Msgr. Mazurkiewicz's book Two Towers and a Minaret: Migration from a Catholic Perspective.
Mass migration is a serious challenge in both America and Europe. Hence the question of the ethical limits of hospitality. The answer must consider not only the needs of migrants, but also the ability of the host country to integrate migrants. This depends not only on the size of the migration, but also on its homogeneity. For example, a peculiarity of the current migration to Europe is the strong dominance of Muslims, which is changing its religious demographics and, consequently, European culture.
https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/twotowers/
Transcribed
30 OCT 2025 · In this episode of The Social Doctrine of the Church, Michael Vacca and Robert Fastiggi talk with Theresa Notare, Assistant Director, NFP Program Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth I United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
- How do questions of human fertility relate to the social doctrine of the Catholic Church? Some people might be surprised to learn that the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (2005) touches on questions of human procreation in nos. 230–235.
- What are the basic teachings of the Catholic Church on marriage, procreation, and the regulation of births? What are the sources for these teachings?
- Why was there significant opposition to St. Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical, Humanae Vitae? Was the resistance due to the “sexual revolution” underway at that time or were there other factors? Do you think some bishops and theologians contributed to this resistance?
- How did St. John Paul II help to explain the wisdom of the Church’s teachings on procreation and marital love?
- What is natural family planning and how does it differ from contraception?
- Why do you think many Catholics are not familiar with natural family planning?
- How does natural family planning contribute to marital intimacy, communication, and love? 8. In your years working with the USCCB on questions of fertility what have been your greatest challenges and greatest blessings?
Transcribed
21 OCT 2025 · In this episode of Catholic Social Teaching, Robert Fastiggi and Michael Vacca interview Neal Flesher on his book Modern Chains: The Invisible Shackles of Economic Slavery.
Modern Chains examines a truth we have been conditioned to ignore: our financial system functions as a silent mechanism of enslavement. Drawing on centuries of history, philosophy, and moral reasoning, author Neal Flesher reveals how our fiat monetary order corrodes human dignity and fractures communities.This book delivers a powerful appeal to moral clarity. By exposing the architecture of fractional reserve banking, revealing the invalid logic of debt-based money, demolishing the justifications for “acceptable” inflation, and unveiling the soul-siphoning nature of usury, Flesher maps out the moral imperative to resist with logical rigor and resounding rhetorical force.Yet Modern Chains does not dwell in gloom. It presents practical tools for liberation in the form of a revolutionary monetary alternative: one requiring no trust in political promises or corporate benevolence. If you have ever sensed something deeply wrong beneath everyday economic life, this book’s philosophical depth and practical guidance may be your key to shaking off those invisible chains.
https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/modernchains/
Transcribed
11 OCT 2025 · In this episode The Social Doctrine of the Church, Michael Vacca and Robert Fastiggi interview Iain Benson on subsidiarity (October 9, 2025)
Transcribed
22 SEP 2025 · In this episode of Social Doctrine of the Church, Michael Vacca and Robert Fastiggi interview John Hittinger on Human Rights, Freedom, and the State in the Magisterium of St. John Paul II.
In light of Dr. Hittinger's expertise as the former director of St. John Paul II Studies at the University of St. Thomas in Houston:
- How did John Paul II's experiences of the totalitarian regimes of the Nazis and the Soviet Communists influence his understanding of human rights?
- According to the Catholic Church and John Paul II, what are the foundations of human rights?
- What is the Catholic Church's understanding of religious freedom and how is this freedom rooted in the teaching of Vatican II?
- John Paul II said that human beings must have the freedom to seek the truth. Could you explain what this means?
- What was John Paul II's view of the freedom of conscience?
- Does the state have authority over the conscience of people?
- What is the responsibility of Catholic citizens towards civil law? Are there cases in which Catholics are required to resist unjust laws? Could you give some examples?
In The Social Doctrine of the Church, Michael Vacca and Robert Fastiggi interview Catholics with an understanding of the various ways in which Catholic Social Doctrine is understood and practiced.
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