The actor and political activist Laurence Fox joins Dr Gavin Ashenden to discuss the sinister ideologies behind the seemingly relentless quest to destroy faith, family, freedom, marriage and the innocence of children in society today. In this 13th episode of Merely Catholic, the podcast series for The Catholic Herald , Fox sets out the reasons why he felt it was necessary for Reclaim, the political party he founded, to expose the shockingly lurid content of sex education programmes aimed even at...
Jul 15, 2022•35 min•Ep. 13
In the 12th episode of the Merely Catholic podcast series for The Catholic Herald, Dr Gavin Ashenden talks to the highly distinguished European political scientist Professor John Loughlin, a Fellow at Blackfriars, Oxford, an Emeritus Fellow and former Tutor at St Edmund's College, former Director of the Von Hügel Institute, and a Senior Fellow and Affiliated Lecturer in the Department of Politics and International Studies, both at the University of Cambridge. Professor Loughlin offers an illumin...
Jul 07, 2022•39 min•Ep. 12
Dr Gavin Ashenden is joined from Chicago by Melissa Villalobos, the recipient of the miracle that led to the canonisation of Cardinal St John Henry Newman in 2019, for the 11th episode of the Merely Catholic podcast series for the Catholic Herald . They discuss the possible ramifications of the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v Wade, the 1973 ruling that made abortion up to birth a constitutional right, as well as the hysterical and sometimes violent response of some of those ...
Jun 30, 2022•30 min•Ep. 11
Father Dwight Longenecker returns to Merely Catholic for the tenth episode of the podcast series for the Catholic Herald, this time talking to Dr Gavin Ashenden about the English Catholic inheritance and what it means to both Britain and the world in the early 21st century. In this fascinating conversation, Father Longenecker, fresh from a pilgrimage tour of England, offers the perspective of both an American and a former Anglican on the role and significance of the English martyrs and upon a di...
Jun 23, 2022•33 min•Ep. 10
Dr Gavin Ashenden talks to the multi-talented Edmund Adamus about his work with A Fertile Heart, an easy-to-follow Relationships and Sex Education programme which is faithful to the teachings of the Catholic faith, and about his forthcoming role with the Sovereign Order of Malta. In this ninth episode of Merely Catholic, the podcast series for the Catholic Herald, their wide-ranging discussion includes reflections on the Theology of the Body of Pope St John Paul II; how best to serve the poor an...
Jun 16, 2022•35 min•Ep. 9
Dr Jules Gomes, the Rome correspondent of Church Militant, joins Dr Gavin Ashenden for this eighth episode of our Merely Catholic podcast series for the Catholic Herald. They reflect on the new appointments to the College of Cardinals which mean that almost two thirds of its members have now been appointed by Pope Francis. Dr Gomes identifies the workings of a politically-radical reformist agenda in the appointments and says that the new generation of “clone” cardinals will seek the consolidatio...
Jun 02, 2022•29 min•Ep. 8
In the seventh podcast of the Merely Catholic series, Dr Gavin Ashenden talks to Ralph Martin about the ‘all-out civil war’ that has broken out in the Catholic Church largely between those who wish to accommodate contemporary mores and those who believe the Church must hold fast to the teaching of two millennia. Dr Martin, an esteemed U.S. theologian and author of the 2020 book The Church in Crisis: Pathways Forward, predicts that the time is drawing near when bishops will increasingly conclude ...
May 26, 2022•36 min•Ep. 7
The leak of a draft opinion that Roe vs Wade may be soon overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court has inflamed political tensions throughout America and led to attacks on Catholic churches and the disruption of Masses. The judgement is not only controversial because it created the federal legal framework for the 62 million abortions in the United States performed since 1973 but also because of its apparent lack of legal coherence. In this sixth episode of Merely Catholic, Dr Gavin Ashenden speaks to...
May 19, 2022•37 min•Ep. 6
In the fifth of our Merely Catholic podcast series, Dr Gavin Ashenden is joined from Jerusalem by Father Dwight Longenecker, the acclaimed U.S. author and speaker. They discuss Easter in the Holy Land as well as mounting tensions between Christians in the West and the increasingly secularised societies in which they find themselves. The worldliness of a Church in which the sex appears to many Christians to be more important than the supernatural is brought into focus, along with the dynamic resp...
May 12, 2022•25 min•Ep. 5
Dr Gavin Ashenden speaks to Father David Palmer, chaplain to Nottingham University, about shocking sexual blasphemy in a children’s book which has divided staff at a Catholic school in south London. Father Palmer, who was last year “cancelled” after he expressed forthright Catholic views over social media, discusses the decision by the Archdiocese of Southwark to stop author Simon James Green visiting The John Fisher School in Purley. With Dr Ashenden, he explores some of the ideological, sociol...
May 05, 2022•31 min•Ep. 4
For the third podcast in our Merely Catholic series, Dr Gavin Ashenden is joined from Chicago by Melissa Villalobos, the mother whose inexplicable healing from a potentially fatal haemorrhage provided Pope Francis with the miracle required to recognise Cardinal John Henry Newman as a saint. Melissa, the Catholic Herald 2019 “Catholic of the Year”, recalls her healing and reflects on the deep spiritual bond of friendship she forged with the first English saint since the Reformation era, and also ...
Apr 28, 2022•29 min•Ep. 3
“What weight do we give to the teaching of Jesus Christ and the Apostles?” In the second episode of our Merely Catholic podcast series Dr Gavin Ashenden talks to Cardinal George Pell about dangers inherent in conforming to contemporary fads and ideologies. Bishops presiding over the German Synodal Path would be embarking on an “absolutely disastrous” experiment if they succumbed to the temptation to water down the faith and accept secular mores in its place, says the distinguished Australian car...
Apr 21, 2022•24 min•Ep. 2
“When they came to Jesus, they saw he was already dead, and so instead of breaking his legs one of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance; and immediately there came out blood and water.” With these words, St John, a witness to the crucifixion, describes the effusion from the side of Jesus Christ on the first Good Friday. In this inaugural episode of Merely Catholic our presenter Dr Gavin Ashenden speaks to the Reverend Professor Patrick Pullicino, a former consultant neurologist and now a C...
Apr 14, 2022•22 min•Ep. 1
For the best spirited thinking on religious affairs today, join Gavin Ashenden and his guest on the Catholic Herald's podcast Merely Catholic. Every week we will reflect on what's happening in the Christian world and shed some light on the most important cultural, spiritual and moral issues of the day. Hit that subscribe button wherever you listen to your podcasts!
Apr 12, 2022•44 sec
