Sed Contra: A Podcast of Catholic Theology

Sed Contra: A Podcast of Catholic Theology

A podcast featuring some of the founding members of The Sacra Doctrina Project discussing theological questions with other academic theologians and philosophers. The podcast takes place in a quaestiones disputatae style, encouraging lively and charitable debate. Listen to the most recent episode below.

Episodes

December 8, 2025 57 mins
Are there male and female souls? What is distributism, and does it align with Catholic social teaching? A la Monty Python, which country's historical philosophers would field the best soccer team? All that and more on this episode of The Quodlibets!
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This final episode in the Theology and History series dives into the works of Pope Benedict XVI. Dr. Joey Belleza, Fr. Ambrose Dobrozsi, and special guest Fr. Harrison Ayre talk Ratzinger's habilitation, "The Theology of History in St. Bonaventure." Does Ratzinger really understand Bonaventure? Does Ratzinger's approach resolve any of the conflicts about history and theology of the 20th century?

Episode I: https://sed-contra-a-podca...

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How exactly did St. Michael and Lucifer duke it out? Does God have emotions? Join us for these questions and more!
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November 3, 2025 68 mins

In the liturgical reforms following Vatican II, the decision was made to remove the beloved Dies Irae from the requiem Mass. Fr. Ambrose Dobrozsi and Dr. Joey Belleza discuss the rationale behind this decision and evaluate it in light of the text of the sequence itself.

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The first of a two part series on faith, this episode dives into the question: what is faith, in conversation with St. Thomas Aquinas?

Part I: https://sed-contra-a-podcast-of-catholic-theology.simplecast.com/episodes/thinking-about-the-virtue-of-faith-with-st-thomas-part-i

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October 13, 2025 70 mins

The third in our series on theology and history, this episode discusses what theology has to say about history. Fr. Ambrose, Dr. Timothy Kearns, and Dr. Kevin Clarke join up to talk about the history of history and what theology can contribute.

Episode I: https://sed-contra-a-podcast-of-catholic-theology.simplecast.com/episodes/theology-and-history-i

Episode II: https://sed-contra-a-podcast-of-catholic-theology.simplecast.com/episode...

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The first of a two part series on faith, this episode dives into the question: what is faith, in conversation with St. Thomas Aquinas?

 

Part 2: https://sed-contra-a-podcast-of-catholic-theology.simplecast.com/episodes/thinking-about-the-virtue-of-faith-with-st-thomas-part-ii

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September 1, 2025 83 mins

The second episode in our series on theology and history, this discussion delves more deeply into the question of what theology and history are. Is there room for the particulars and accidents of history in a rigorously defined theology? Fr. Ambrose Dobrozsi, Elliot Polsky, and John O'Neill discuss the topic at length.

Catch up on the first in the series, Theology and History Episode I: https://sed-contra-a-podcast-of-catholic-theol...

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This episode gives an introduction to the life and work of Fr. Peter Damian Fehlner. Dr Joey Belleza, Dr Matthew Minerd, and Fr. Charles Robinson of the Sacra Doctrina Project interview Dr. Jared Goff, the publisher of the recent edition of Fr. Fehlner's collected works.

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July 16, 2025 62 mins

Fr. Ambrose Dobrozsi, Dr. Joey Belleza, and Dr. Timothy Kearns kick off a multi-part series on theology and history. This first episode looks at the ways in which historical study is necessary and useful for theology, while avoiding the pitfall of reducing all theology to just subjective history.

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June 2, 2025 76 mins

Today on Sed Contra, the Sacra Doctrina Project's Joey Belleza is joined by Alexander Masir, for a discussion of the solemnity of Corpus Christi.

Be sure to follow the Sacra Doctrina Project on Facebook and Twitter as well.

Music attribution: "Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No 3, 3 allegro" by Advent Chamber Orchestra. Acquired here. Edited for length. Used under Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. 

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Today on Sed Contra, the Sacra Doctrina Project's Elliot Polsky and Urban Hannon discuss three medieval theories of the meaning of the word "is," and what difference this makes to contemporary discussions of "esse."

Be sure to follow the Sacra Doctrina Project on Facebook and Twitter as well.

For further reading:

https://philpapers.org/rec/POLTMS

https://philpapers.org/rec/POLTMS-2

https://philpapers.org/rec/POLTSO-22

https://philpapers....

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Today on Sed Contra, the Sacra Doctrina Project's Joey Belleza is joined by Fr. Clinton Sensat, of the Diocese of Lafayette, for a discussion on St. Bonaventure of Bagnoregio.

Be sure to follow the Sacra Doctrina Project on Facebook and Twitter as well.

 

Music attribution: "Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No 3, 3 allegro" by Advent Chamber Orchestra. Acquired here. Edited for length. Used under Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States L...

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March 10, 2025 60 mins

Today on Sed Contra, SDP members Fr. Ambrose Dobrozsi, Elliot Polsky, and Pater Edmund Waldstein discuss the modern turn to the subject, as well as its various philosophical, cultural, and religious implications.

Be sure to follow the Sacra Doctrina Project on Facebook and Twitter as well.

 

Music attribution: "Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No 3, 3 allegro" by Advent Chamber Orchestra. Acquired here. Edited for length. Used under Attrib...

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January 20, 2025 78 mins

Today on Sed Contra, SDP members Fr. Ambrose Dobrozsi, Daniel Drain, and Kara Johnson discuss gender and sex. They consider these in the light of the Catholic theological tradition, with special attention to St. Thomas Aquinas and Pope Francis.

Be sure to follow the Sacra Doctrina Project on Facebook and Twitter as well.

 

Music attribution: "Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No 3, 3 allegro" by Advent Chamber Orchestra. Acquired here. Edit...

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November 6, 2024 45 mins

Music attribution: "Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No 3, 3 allegro" by Advent Chamber Orchestra. Acquired here. Edited for length. Used under Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. 

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Links:

Donum vitae

https://www.vatican.va/roman\_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc\_con\_cfaith\_doc\_19870222\_respect-for-human-life\_en.html

Dignitas personae

https://www.vatican.va/roman\_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc\_con\_cfaith\_doc\_20081208\_dignitas-personae\_en.html

 

Music attribution: "Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No 3, 3 allegro" by Advent Chamber Orchestra. Acquired here. Edited for length. Used under Attrib...

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Music attribution: "Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No 3, 3 allegro" by Advent Chamber Orchestra. Acquired here. Edited for length. Used under Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. 

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April 18, 2024 60 mins

Music attribution: "Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No 3, 3 allegro" by Advent Chamber Orchestra. Acquired here. Edited for length. Used under Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. 

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