Crash Course Catholicism

In this first episode of our series on Pope Leo's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, we explore what the Catholic Church has to say about artificial intelligence, the digital revolution, and what it means to be truly human.

Pope Leo argues that AI is not simply another technological innovation. It is reshaping the way we work, communicate, think, and even understand ourselves. Drawing on the biblical stories of the Tower of Babel and N...

Faith is more than intellectual belief. If we think about it, even the devil technically *believes* in God. So what does true faith actually look like?

In this episode of Catechism 101, we talk through four key signs of faith from the Catechism: Faith is free, active, overflowing, and dynamic.

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What does it mean to be a human person? What does love actually look like? What does the body reveal to us about God and the meaning of life?

Theology of the Body isn't just about sex. It's about what it means to be human.

In this episode, we explore some of the foundational ideas that St. John Paul II returns to again and again in his catechesis. We introduce key themes including the dignity of the body, the meaning of love, JPII's ...

How does faith actually work?

There's a gap between logically knowing something is true and actually believing it. In this episode of Catechism 101, we unpack exactly what it takes to cross that gap.

This episode covers:

• The difference between knowing something is true and actually believing it
• Why faith is a gift from God
• The four things that have to happen to make an act of faith
• Why the will matters just as much as the intellect
• ...

What is the Theology of the Body? Why was it developed, and why is it still relevant today?

In this episode, we begin our next deep dive (!) by telling the story of the development of ToB. From the fallout of the sexual revolution to Humanae Vitae and Pope St. John Paul II’s revolutionary vision of the human person, we ask why TOB remains one of the Church’s most important teachings today.

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What is faith, really?

In this episode of Catechism 101, we unpack what faith actually means according to Catholic teaching. Spoiler: it's NOT blind faith.

This episode covers:

• Why "blind faith" (fideism) is something the Catholic Church actively rejects
• The story of Saint Augustine that explains exactly what faith is
• Why faith and reason aren't opposed to each other
• How to explore the mysteries of faith without switching your brain...

"At the hour of death we are going to be judged on what we have been to the poor, to the hungry, naked, the homeless."

Mother Teresa lived this truth with radical simplicity and unwavering love. From the streets of Calcutta, she dedicated her life to serving the poorest of the poor, restoring dignity to those the world had forgotten. Today, her legacy continues through the Missionaries of Charity, whose work reaches the most vulnera...

Video mini-episodes are here!

In this introductory video, I explain an exciting new chapter for Crash Course Catholicism.

Thank you to all the Patrons and supporters who have made this work possible!

This podcast relies 100% on the generosity of listeners. If you have found these episodes helpful and would like to support the future of Crash Course Catholicism, please consider donating via the following links:

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In this episode, we explore the human person's right to:

• Marriage and Family
• Meeting and association
• Work
• A just wage
• Private property
• Humane working conditions
• Migration
• Political activity and engagement.

This podcast relies 100% on the generosity of listeners. If you have found these episodes helpful and would like to support the future of Crash Course Catholicism, please consider donating via the following links:

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In this episode, we explore every human person's right to:

• Life
• Bodily integrity
• Dignity
• Equality
• Freedom of speech
• Truth
• Transcendence
• Freedom of Religion
• Medical care
• Education

This podcast relies 100% on the generosity of listeners. If you have found these episodes helpful and would like to support the future of Crash Course Catholicism, please consider donating via the following links:

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What are Human Rights? How are they different from other kinds of rights? Are Human Rights inherent, or are they a social construct?

In this episode, we continue our exploration of Catholic Social Doctrine by considering the nature of Human Rights.

This podcast relies 100% on the generosity of listeners. If you have found these episodes helpful and would like to support the future of Crash Course Catholicism, please consider donating...

We are made in the image of God, and this truth has profound implications for how we understand the human person.

In this episode, we explore key dimensions of human personhood, including freedom, responsibility, the capacity for transcendence, uniqueness and unrepeatability, and equality.

Understanding the full depth and complexity of human nature is essential for social doctrine, because our understanding of the human person form...

The whole of Catholic social doctrine rests on the answer to the question: What is a human being?

In this episode, we discuss human nature and human dignity. What does it mean to be made in the image of God? What makes human beings unique in comparison with the rest of nature? Do human beings have a particular dignity, or are we just intelligent animals?

Understanding what a human person is helps us to see why human beings must alway...

Catholic social doctrine did not suddenly appear in the nineteenth century. Its roots reach back to the very foundations of Scripture.

In this episode, we explore the biblical vision of social life: a world shaped by justice, mercy, solidarity, and the command to love one another. From the law and the prophets to the teaching of Christ, the Bible reveals that social responsibility is not an optional extra to the Christian life. Rath...

Happy New Year, friends! Welcome to the first episode on our next deep dive into the Social Doctrine of the Catholic church! This is an incredibly rich and important area of Catholic teaching that helps us to understand how human beings should function in societies. It covers topics such as human rights, the rights of workers, the responsibilities of employers, governments, and individuals, and the conditions necessary for human fl...

What do we know about the life of St Nicholas of Myra? What is his relationship with the modern-day Santa Claus? Should Catholics tell their children that Santa exists?

PLEASE NOTE: This entire episode is one giant spoiler about the existence of Santa Claus. If you have small children who have not yet been disillusioned, you might want to listen to this one when they're not in the room.

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Cardinal St John Henry Newman is a Catholic saint who lived in the nineteenth century and was canonised in 2019. In November 2025, he was officially declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIV. This is a title held by only 38 saints in the entire history of the church, and it is given to those whose writings are of benefit to the whole church.

John Henry Newman was an Anglican priest and Oxford academic who converted to Catholi...

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FINAL EPISODE OF THE DEEP DIVE LET'S GOOOO

In this episode, we consider common moral problems that people encounter when they read the Bible. Why does the God of the Old Testament seem so angry and cruel, while Jesus seems merciful and loving? Why does God give such harsh punishments to people in the Old Testament? Does the Bible condone things like slavery and genocide? What about all those people who do terrible thi...

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What should we do about all those apparent historical and scientific inaccuracies in the Bible? Like Genesis telling us the world was made in seven days, or that there was a flood that covered the whole earth, or that Jonah survived in the belly of a whale for three days?

And what about contradictions within the Bible? Why do some of the Gospel writers recount events differently? Do these discrepancies undermin...