Welcome to Questions for the Modern World, a podcast by Common Home TV where faith meets the challenges—and possibilities—of our time.

In this episode, we’re joined by Bishop Shane Mackinlay, Bishop of Sandhurst and a key figure in the global Synod on Synodality. As the Church enters a new chapter following the death of Pope Francis, now is the moment to reflect on the vision he leaves behind—a Church that listens, journeys together, and engages with the world rather than retreating from it.

We talk with Bishop Mackinlay about the deep need to reconnect faith with modern culture, how synodality offers an antidote to apathy, and the questions being raised around women’s ordination.

This is an honest and hopeful conversation that points to a Church not of the past, but of possibility.

As Ukraine continues its fight for survival, the world watches with shifting allegiances and wavering commitments. In this episode of Questions from the Modern World, we sit down with Father Kolisnyk, a Ukrainian Redemptorist priest, to discuss what a just peace truly means for Ukraine and how faith sustains people in the face of war.

🔹 How has the war changed Ukraine’s spiritual landscape? 🔹 What lessons from history shape Ukraine’s approach to diplomacy? 🔹 How does political fatigue in the West impact Ukraine’s struggle? 🔹 What role do global Catholic communities play in standing in solidarity?

Father Ihor speaks candidly about the cost of justice, the weight of global inaction, and why, for many Ukrainians, this is not just a political fight—it is a fight for survival. He challenges Western leaders, including former U.S. President Donald Trump, on their rhetoric and highlights the deep historical wounds that make negotiations with Russia fraught with danger.

💬 “The Russians came, as they have before, to cancel our culture, our language—even our faith.”

This is a conversation about faith, resilience, and the global responsibility to stand for truth.

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Welcome to Questions for the Modern World. In this episode, we’re thrilled to be joined by Kathryn Joyce, a renowned investigative journalist and adjunct lecturer in political science at Brooklyn College. Formerly a reporter with Type Investigations and Salon, Kathryn has served as a contributing editor at The New Republic and a contributing writer at Highline. Her work has appeared in acclaimed publications such as Vanity Fair, The New York Times Magazine, Mother Jones, The Marshall Project, Pacific Standard, Wired, The Nation, and many others.

Today, we explore the intersection of faith, fame, and influence, dissecting her recent Vanity Fair article, Behind the Catholic Right’s Celebrity-Conversion Industrial Complex. We examine the rise of celebrity conversions, the role of well-funded American Catholic media ministries, and their profound impact on the Church in the United States and globally.

We also reflect on her book, The Child Catchers: Rescue, Trafficking, and the New Gospel of Adoption, and discuss the lasting impact of evangelical adoption practices ten years after its release.