Station XV: Episode 71 — It’s our birthday; let us eat cake
It’s hard to believe that it’s six years since The 15th Station sprung into life in a small office in Auckland, but the crew invites SQPN legend Steve Nelson into Rendition Studios to share in the birthday celebration. The remarkable events of World Youth Day in Rio, and the subsequent unremarkable comments on the flight back that generated headlines around the world, dominate this month’s episode. James, Don, Shannon, Steve and Gavin also talk about Lumen Fidei, the joint Francis/Benedict encyclical, a doctor who has an interesting philosophy on prescribing contraceptives and the impending canonisation of Popes John Paul II and John XXIII. Even the light story has an unusually serious discussion. Thanks for listening to this episode, and any of the other 70 shows in this podcast and however many of the other shows in the network. You guys are great.
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Station XV: Episode 70 — Pastors, princes and Pope Francis
With the panel down on numbers and an early recording date, it’s a more concise episode of The 15th Station this month as James and Gavin discuss some of the big stories of the month, including Pope Francis’s desire for bishops to be more pastor than prince, the idea of the Church reclaiming the word “matrimony” as marriage is redefined in various jurisdictions and we take a look at the first meeting of arguably the two most important Christian leaders in the world — Pope Francis and the Archbishop of Canterbury. We said “arguably”. Other big stories from the month, including the upcoming canonisations and the new encyclical, will feature in next month’s podcast.
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Station XV: Episode 69 — Catholics, Atheists and Nudists
Can atheists get to heaven? Can a group of Catholics call their Catholic group “Catholic”? Can Pope Francis continue his charmed run with the media when he makes his first overseas trip next month? Can Catholics still be members of the Boy Scouts of America? And can someone without any pants parody the Pope? A series of fascinating questions — and some interesting answers — on this month’s episode with James, Helen, Don and Gavin. And if you’re looking for John Allen’s preview (mentioned in the show) of the challenge facing Pope Francis ahead of World Youth Day, you can find it here.
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Station XV: Episode 68 — Church expands, and so does definition of marriage
In the May 2013 episode of The 15th Station, James, Helen, Don and Gavin talk about the latest statistics that show the Catholic Church is growing faster than the rate of population growth, and the number of seminarians, priests and bishops is growing with it. Another thing that’s growing is the number of relationships New Zealanders can consider marriage, with the passage of legislation allowing same-sex marriage. Some of the arguments against such moves are outlined in this piece, What is Marriage?, which Don mentions in the show. The panel also discusses Pope Francis’s upcoming trip to South America, the Church’s view on economic matters and the story that’s gone viral — a three-year-old Colombian boy who celebrates Mass.
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Station XV: Episode 67 — Speaking frankly about Francis
It’s been just over a month since Pope Francis took the helm of the Barque of Peter as leader of the Catholic Church. In this month’s episode, papal musings dominate the show, with Helen, James, Don and Gavin talking about his first Easter Triduum, his first discussion of the sexual abuse crisis and also the Argentinian connection — tenuous as it may be — between Pope Francis and Diego Maradona. The panel also chats about the likely passage of same-sex marriage legislation in New Zealand. Could anything stop it from becoming law?
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Station XV: Episode 66 — Habemus Papam!!
There’s really only one story to talk about this month, and it’s the election of Pope Francis. What a momentous occasion for the Church and what great interest it received from around the world. James, Marcus, Shannon and Gavin talk about the announcement, the man himself, the name he chose, their (very) early reactions, the big priorities he faces and even find some time to mention a light story, with a US TV show seeking to demonstrate the ignorance of the average Joe or Joanne on the street asking what they thought of the new Pope — days before he was announced. Enjoy the show, and tell your friends 🙂
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Station XV: Episode 63 — Papal Preponderance and Preoccupation
It’s been a big month for Pope Benedict — the man himself, and a caricature of him in New Zealand. The panel chats in this Christmas episode of The 15th Station about the Pope’s new book on Jesus, Benedict featuring in an ad for a power company that seems to promote gay marriage (and the reaction from the Church to that), as well as his new document looking at Catholic identity. There’s also reflection on a New Zealand Anglican bishop getting a new post at the Vatican and a new take on the New Evangelisation.
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The View from Down Here: October 25, 2012
With under two weeks to go until the presidential election, that naturally dominates this week’s show, covering the story from many angles — the final debate, the polls, the campaigning, the reaction in swing states and the Al Smith Dinner, to name but a few. But Brendan and Gavin also find time to talk about a couple of other important stories, including an analysis of the “War on Religion” in the US and the canonisation of the first Native American saint (see awesome photo) and another woman whose ministry to lepers in Hawaii laid the path for her canonisation. Enjoy the show, and check back next week for another View from Down Here.
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The View from Down Here: October 19, 2012
Another week, another debate (or two) and another show packed with a couple of New Zealanders’ views on what is unfolding in the US presidential election. Did Obama win the second debate? Was Biden’s performance forceful or overly aggressive? And what to make of the bishops’ rebuttal of Biden’s comments on the contraception mandate? Those stories and much more in this week’s show as Brendan and Gavin chew the fat. If you want some analysis on one of the second presidential debate’s most contentious moments — the moderator’s on-the-run fact checking of Obama’s use of the phrase act of terror — click here. Or if you want to have some fun with the electoral map and see how the race might pan out, click here. Less than three weeks till the election and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
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Station XV: Episode 60 — A cathedral, a proposal and a Martini
Same-sex marriage continues to dominate Catholic discussion in New Zealand and leads this month’s episode of The 15th Station. With our studio out of action, James and Gavin talk across the oceans about that story, including a sporting analogy that was devised to demonstrate how redefining words is a dangerous precedent. The guys also talk about the tributes for Cardinal Carlo Martini, the possibility of a joint Anglican-Catholic cathedral in Christchurch and the place of Catholicism in the upcoming US election. They end with the story that went around the world — the fresco fiasco. Thanks for listening and we’d love to get your feedback.
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