In February of 1300, Pope Boniface VIII, in the papal bull Antiquorum Habet Fida Relatio, declared the first-ever Catholic Jubilee Year. Anyone who made a pilgrimage to the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul in Rome, and who repented and confessed, would receive “the fullest and broadest pardon for all sins committed,” Boniface proclaimed. One of the thousands of pilgrims who journeyed to Rome that year was the painter Giotto, who created a fresco commemorating the event. Another was the poet Dante Alighieri, who references the Jubilee in his Divine Comedy—ironically, this appears in Canto 18 of Inferno, where he compares the movement of the damned along the eighth circle of hell to the Roman method of traffic control during the Jubilee.

The jubilee tradition goes back far further, however, originating in Judaism, before Christianity had even begun. In the Israelite tradition, the jubilee was associated with things like forgiving debts, freeing enslaved people, and other concrete gestures of material justice. In the Catholic tradition, however, the Jubilee focuses not on debt forgiveness but on forgiveness of sins.

On this episode of Glad You Asked, the hosts talk with scholar Dean Dettloff about the origins of the Jubilee Year, its significance in the Catholic tradition, and whether there is any likelihood that the Catholic Jubilee will recover its ancient tradition of concrete liberation. Dettloff is the Research and Advocacy Officer for Development and Peace–Caritas Canada. He holds a PhD in philosophy from the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, where he also teaches as sessional faculty.

You can learn more about this topic, and read some of Dettloff’s work, in these links.

What Is a Holy Year?
HISTORY

“This Jubilee year, be open to the gift of hope,” by Alice Camille
This Jubilee year, be open to the gift of hope - U.S. Catholic

“Take action against mass incarceration this Jubilee year,” by Alessandra Harris
Take action against mass incarceration this Jubilee year - U.S. Catholic

“Canada must lead global debt cancellation, like it did 25 years ago,” by Dean Detloff
Canada must lead global debt cancellation, like it did 25 years ago - The Hill Times

“Mourning a Pope We Often Ignored,” by Dean Detloff
Mourning a Pope We Often Ignored | Sojourners

“A May Day Saint,” by Dean Detloff
A May Day Saint | Commonweal Magazine

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries.

The earliest documented use of the term pro-life was in a book on parenting and child education. The book, Summerhill: A Radical Approach to Child Rearing, by A.S. Neil, was published in 1960 and contained the statement that “no pro-life parent or teacher would ever strike a child. No pro-life citizen would tolerate our penal code, our hangings, our punishment of homosexuals.”

However, that’s not how the term is typically used today. In the early 1970s, following Roe v. Wade, anti-abortion activists began using the term pro-life in reference to their opposition to legalized abortion. Even then, many activists thought being pro-life ought to entail a holistic approach to life issues: that people should oppose not only abortion, but also war, the death penalty, income inequality, and racism.

This idea that pro-life ought to refer to all life really began to pick up steam in 2016, partially as a response to the mainstream pro-life movement's alliance with far right political leaders. Today, many people who used to identify as pro-life no longer do so. They feel the term has been tarnished.

Should “pro-life” mean opposition to abortion, or should it be more inclusive? Has the term been compromised by its association with various political agendas? And how should Catholics respond to this debate?

On this episode of Glad You Asked, the hosts talk to Bishop John Stowe about what it means to be a pro-life Catholic. Stowe is bishop of the diocese of Lexington, Kentucky and a priest in the Order of Friars Minor Conventual. In keeping with the Franciscan tradition, Stowe has long been a pastoral voice for justice for the poor and for environmental justice. He’s also spoken repeatedly for immigrant rights and LGBTQ+ inclusion.

Learn more about this topic in these links.

“U.S. Catholic readers critique the pro-life movement,” by Kathleen Bonnette
U.S. Catholic readers critique the pro-life movement - U.S. Catholic

“As election nears, Catholics reflect on abortion politics,” by Cassidy Klein
As election nears, Catholics reflect on abortion politics - U.S. Catholic

“4 ways progressive pro-lifers can reengage with Democratic leaders,” by Rebecca Bratten Weiss
4 ways progressive pro-lifers can reengage with Democratic leaders | National Catholic Reporter

“Will the synod listen to women on reproductive issues?” by Ashley Wilson
Will the synod listen to women on reproductive issues? - U.S. Catholic

“In debates about reproductive health, listen to Black women,” a U.S. Catholic interview
In debates about reproductive health, listen to Black women - U.S. Catholic

“A new way to think about the ‘consistent ethic of life’,” by Steven P. Millies
A new way to think about the ‘consistent ethic of life’

“It’s Time to Move Past the Pro-Life / Pro-Choice Dividing Line,” by Rebecca Bratten Weiss
It’s Time To Move Past The Pro-Life / Pro-Choice Dividing Line | Rebecca Bratten Weiss

“Do restrictive abortion laws actually reduce abortion? A global map offers insights,” by Michaeleen Doucleff
MAP: Click to see abortion laws — and rates of abortion — around the world : Goats and Soda : NPR

“The movement against abortion rights is nearing its apex. But it began way before Roe,” by Deepa Shivaram
The history of the anti-abortion movement in the U.S. : NPR

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries.

Catholic history is full of famous excommunications involving court intrigue and geopolitical conflicts. Henry VIII of England was excommunicated twice: first in a “provisional excommunication,” by Pope Clement, then again by Pope Paul III, in 1538. An earlier English monarch, Henry II, also clashed with the church—specifically, with Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury. Though Becket never excommunicated Henry, he did excommunicate a number of his supporters. Further back in history, yet another Henry, the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV, was famously excommunicated by Pope Gregory VII. The emperor ended up walking on foot to Canossa Castle in 1077, and kneeling in the snow doing penance for three days, begging for his excommunication to be lifted.

Stories like this might suggest that excommunication was a tool for political leverage, or a weighty and dramatic event that only happened when the Catholic Church wielded massive political power. But excommunications still happen today, and most of them do not involve state leaders.

On this episode of the podcast, the hosts talk with canon lawyer Dawn Eden Goldstein about the canonical and theological significance of excommunication. Goldstein is one of the few laywomen in the world to hold both a theology doctorate licensed by the Holy See and a licentiate in canon law.

She is also the first woman to earn a doctorate in sacred theology from the University of St. Mary of the Lake. She is also the author of several books, including The Sacred Heart: A Love for All Times (Loyola Press) and Father Ed: The Story of Bill W.'s Spiritual Sponsor (Orbis Books).

You can find more information about this topic and read some of Dawn’s work in these links.

“What is excommunication?” by Michelle Arnold
What is excommunication?

“Excommunication is not the church's equivalent of capital punishment,” by Thomas Reese
Excommunication is not the church's equivalent of capital punishment | National Catholic Reporter

“Vatican excommunicates former nuncio to the US, found guilty of schism,” by Carol Glatz
Vatican excommunicates former nuncio to the US, found guilty of schism | USCCB

“What is canon law?” by Dawn Eden Goldstein
What is canon law? - U.S. Catholic

The Dawn Patrol
The Dawn Patrol

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries.