Thomas D’Arcy McGee: Canada’s Greatest Catholic Statesman? ~ David Wilson

It’s a well-known and tragic truth that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.

In this episode, we explore the unique legacy and witness of a specific subset of the holy martyrs - those who perished at the hands of communism, one of the most sinister ideologies of human history and enemies of the Church.

Our guest is Kristen Theriault, author of the recently published book, “When the Sickle Swings - Stories of Catholics Who Survived Communist Oppression.”

This is an inspiring conversation about ordinary men and women who resisted Communist persecution and paid the ultimate sacrifice while professing and defending the faith with courage.

Kristen holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history, and researches Catholics who survived totalitarianism in the 20th century.  She’s the editor of Catholic Exchange, a forum for news and prayer devotions, and serves as a media spokesperson for Sophia Institute Press.


Resources

Kristen Theriault (biography)

Kristen Theriault, When the Sickle Swings: Stories of Catholics Who Survived Communist Oppression (2023)

Catholic Exchange

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To work in the Vatican during one pontificate is a rare privilege for any member of the laity.  To work for three different pontificates, including as an official representative of the Holy See (and a female representative, no less) - well, that just puts you in the hall of fame.

Mary Ann Glendon has cultivated a long and distinguished record of service to the Catholic Church: head of the Holy See’s delegation to the World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995; Member and President of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences; US Ambassador to the Holy See; and appointee to the independent board which oversees the Vatican Bank.

In this episode, we talk with Mary Ann about the reflections and insights in her hot-off-the-press book, “In the Courts of Three Popes: An American Lawyer and Diplomat in the Last Absolute Monarchy of the West.”

One part memoir, one part commentary on the vital role of the laity in the Church, it’s a fascinating firsthand account of the inner workings of the Vatican under Pope St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.


Resources

Mary Ann Glendon (Harvard Law School biography)

Mary Ann Glendon, In the Courts of Three Popes: An American Lawyer and Diplomat in the Last Absolute Monarchy of the West (2024)

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Religion declared “non-essential.”  Skeptical voices censored.  The elderly dying alone.  Christmas in lockdown.

These are just a few examples from the lengthy hit-list of government violations of Canadians’ civil liberties during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Our guests for this episode are co-authors of Pandemic Panic: How Canadian Government Responses to COVID-19 Changed Civil Liberties Forever.  The book attempts to ensure that the implications of government overreach aren’t simply lost down the memory hole forever.

We also discuss our guests making international headlines after a federal judge in Canada ruled in favour of their court challenge against the Federal government’s use of emergency authority in response to the Freedom Convoy protests in 2022.

Joanna Baron and Christine Van Geyn are the Executive Director and Litigation Director for the Canadian Constitution Foundation.  The CCF is a national non-profit charity committed to defending the constitutionally-protected rights and freedoms of Canadians.

Resources

Joanna Baron and Christine Van Geyn (official CCF biographies)

Canadian Constitution Foundation

@CDNConstFound

Joanna Baron and Christine Van Geyn, Pandemic Panic: How Canadian Government Responses to COVID-19 Changed Civil Liberties Forever (2023)

“Ottawa's use of Emergencies Act against convoy protests was unreasonable, violated Charter, court rules”, CBC (January 2024)

Joanna Baron and Christine Van Geyn, “The government violated Canadians’ rights during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now the courts are giving them a pass”, The Hub (November 2023)

Emily Oster, “Let’s declare a pandemic amnesty”, The Atlantic (October 2022)

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In this episode, Dr. Yuval Levin offers a spirited defense of capitalism on moral grounds, recognizing that the most serious criticisms against capitalism aren’t necessarily about prosperity and wealth, but about the perceived moral failings of the economic system.

This approach is actually consistent with the original case for capitalism, articulated by Adam Smith himself, who was first and foremost a moral philosopher.

Along the way, we talk about the essential virtues within Smith’s philosophy; who coined the term “capitalism”; the need for social institutions like families and churches to temper economic appetites; the breadth of common ground between Adam Smith and Catholic social teaching; buying and selling as moral actions; and the enduring truth that man does not live by bread alone.

Dr. Levin is the Director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute - one of the leading conservative think tanks in Washington, DC.

He is also the founder and editor of National Affairs, senior editor at The New Atlantis, a contributing editor at National Review, and an opinion writer at The New York Times.

In addition, he served as a member of the White House domestic policy staff under President George W. Bush, and as the executive director of the President’s Council on Bioethics.

Resources

Yuval Levin (official AEI biography)

American Enterprise Institute, The Morality of Markets

Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations (Britannica.com summary)

Pope John Paul II, Centesimus Annus (1991)

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What is a nation?  What is a Christian nation?  Is nationalism virtuous?  What does it mean to practice "complacent" love, which is the natural expression of a greater affinity for those closest to us?  How can we expect to renew our society and civilization in the absence of committing ourselves as persons and as a nation to Christ?  And is a Capitol Hill rioter from January 6, 2021 the archetype or the caricature of a Christian nationalist?

We explore these and other questions with our guest, Dr. Stephen Wolfe, author of The Case for Christian Nationalism.

Dr. Wolfe has a PhD in political philosophy and is a country scholar based in North Carolina.  He’s the co-host of the Ars Politica podcast and is a contributor to numerous U.S.-based Christian publications.


Resources

@PerfInjust (X / Twitter)

Stephen Wolfe, The Case for Christian Nationalism (2022)

Stephen Wolfe, “No Christian Nation, No Christian Family”, American Reformer (November 27, 2023)

Daniel Sillman, “Christian nationalism debates expose clashing views of power”, Christianity Today (October 31, 2022)

Ars Politica (podcast)

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Please note that this podcast has been edited for length and clarity.

Join us as we revisit the highs and lows of 2023!

We glance back at major stories like the Synod on Synodality, demotions of high-profile prelates, discovery of the incorrupt remains of an African-American nun who loved the ancient liturgy, U.S. federal law enforcement targeting “radical traditionalists”, and Canada’s Parliament enjoying a moment of clarity in determining that Christmas is, in fact, not a discriminatory holiday.

In true Crown and Crozier style, we don’t just dwell on current events. Along the way, we take some scenic detours into reflections on suffering, grace, gratitude, beauty and apocalyptic unveilings.

Our guest is fellow Canadian and Catholic commentator, Kennedy Hall, host of The Kennedy Report (thekennedyreport.com) and author of SSPX: The Defence.

(N.B. this podcast was recorded in early December, prior to the release of Fiducia Supplicans on December 18).

Resources

The Kennedy Report (website)

The Kennedy Report (YouTube)

@kennedyhall

Kennedy Hall, Mere Tradition (Substack)

Kennedy Hall, SSPX: The Defence (2023)

Should I Join the SSPX? (YouTube interview between Brian Holdsworth and Kennedy Hall)

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Please note that this podcast has been edited for length and clarity.

This episode is our second installment in a two-part series looking at “integralism”, which holds that the State should recognize Catholicism as true and ought to unite with the Church as body to her soul.

In Part 1 of our attempt to give integralism a fair hearing, we were treated to a critique of the theory.  In this second half, we give the floor to one of the leading intellectual voices and proponents in the integralist movement, Dr. Thomas Pink.

Dr. Pink argues that integralism is first and foremost what the Catholic Church has taught for centuries about the proper ordering of Church and State.  In addition, our guest makes the case that integralism delivers a more realistic view of how states actually function and the true nature of legal authority.

Regardless of whether this two-part series leaves you feeling more or less inclined to accept integralism, we hope that you’ll find this exploration to be a rich and meaningful examination of this critically important tradition within Church teaching.

Dr. Thomas Pink is Professor of Philosophy at King’s College in London, England. He’s written extensively on ethics, metaphysics, free well, political and legal philosophy, and on the history of these subjects.

Don’t forget to subscribe to Crown and Crozier, and be the first to know when a new episode drops on Church, State and faithful citizenship!


Resources

Dr. Thomas Pink (official bio)

@thomaspink1

Thomas Pink, Papal Authority and the Limits of Official Theology, The Lamp (December 2022)

Reconciling integralism, the magisterium, and the modern world, The Pillar (September 2022)

Thomas Pink, Integralism, Political Philosophy, and the State, Public Discourse (May 2020)

Thomas Pink, In Defence of Catholic Integralism, Public Discourse (August 2018)

Thomas Pink, Dignitatis Humanae: continuity after Leo XIII

Pope Paul VI, Declaration on Religious Freedom: Dignitatis Humanae (December 7, 1965)

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Centuries ago, when what we now refer to as “States” were just starting to take shape, who did they turn to for guidance on how to perform their basic functions?  Who taught them the equivalent of accounting, record-keeping, law, taxation and dispute resolution 101?  Who served as a model for how to administer justice and organize an assembly of representatives?

And who, by extension, do we have to thank for the great inheritance of such fundamental principles as the rule of law, that have been passed down generation after generation?

That’s right, the Roman Catholic Church of the medieval era!

Our guest for this episode is Dr. Anna Grzymala-Busse, author of the recently published book, Sacred Foundations: The Religious and Medieval Roots of the European State.

Dr. Grzymala-Busse researches and teaches at Stanford University, where she serves as the Michelle and Kevin Douglas Professor of International Studies in the Department of Political Science, the Director of the Europe Center, and Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute.  Her areas of expertise include the historical development of the state and its transformation, political parties, and religion and politics.


Resources

Anna Grzymala-Busse (faculty bio)

Sacred Foundations: The Religious and Medieval Roots of the European State

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Please note that this podcast has been edited for length and clarity.

With the 2024 U.S. presidential election campaign heating up, we’re delighted to bring you an episode featuring the wisdom and experience of someone who’s endured the grueling ups and downs that come with life on the campaign trail.

Our guest is Rick Santorum, who twice contested the race for the highest executive office in the United States - first in 2012 and then in 2016.

Prior to his presidential runs, he served in the U.S. Congress for 16 years - the first four in the House of Representatives, followed by two six-year terms in the Senate, representing the State of Pennsylvania.

A devout Catholic, devoted husband, and father of 7 kids, Rick was a stalwart pro-life champion during his time in office, with his signature accomplishments including helping to shepherd a ban on partial birth abortion into law.

In our conversation with Rick, we talk about the 2024 election cycle, what he makes of the current crop of presidential candidates, his own experience on the hustings, the surprising absence of authentic solidarity among Catholics on Capitol Hill, ensuring our faith guides our politics rather than the other way around, and the need for happy, hopeful warriors in the public square.

Resources

Rick Santorum (biography)

@RickSantorum

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Please note that this podcast has been edited for length and clarity.

If you’re a regular consumer of Catholic and Christian media, there’s a good chance that you’ve come across the term “integralism."

“Integralism” refers to the school of thought which says that the Church can direct the State to adopt policies which advance the ends of the Church and help enforce Church law.

Sounds wild, doesn’t it?

And yet, if you look more closely, there’s actually a lengthy record of Church teaching tilting in the direction of what integralists assert.

Integralism engages fundamental questions about what it means to be subject to Christ’s kingship and to the legitimate authority of the State.  So it’s little wonder that the topic is capable of igniting spirited views on either side.

This episode is the first installment in a two-part series planned by Crown and Crozier, in which our objective is to give integralism a fair hearing.

Our guest is Dr. Kevin Vallier, who recently authored a detailed critique of integralism entitled All the Kingdoms of the World: On Radical Religious Alternatives to Liberalism.

Dr. Vallier has written several books on political philosophy and currently serves as Associate Professor at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, where he also directs the university’s program in Philosophy, Politics, Economics and Law.


Resources

Kevin Vallier (official website)

Kevin Vallier, All the Kingdoms of the World: On Radical Religious Alternatives to Liberalism

Thomas Pink, In Defence of Catholic Integralism, Public Discourse (August 12, 2018)

Kevin Vallier, What is integralism? (The Liberal Tortoise - Substack blog)

The Josias (integralist blog)

Pope Paul VI, Declaration on Religious Freedom: Dignitatis Humanae (December 7, 1965)

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Please note that this podcast has been edited for length and clarity.