Today on Kresta - May 3, 2010

Talking about the "things that matter most" on May 3

4:00 – Fr. Jenkins releases statement on the status of protesters arrested at Notre Dame in 2009
Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., president of the University of Notre Dame, has released a statement in regard to the status of protesters who were arrested on campus last spring. In it, he highlights a “Pre-Trial Diversion Program,” which gives individuals the chance to avoid a trial and have their cases dismissed with no record of a criminal conviction. He also says “as I have made plain in my every public statement regarding Commencement, we at Notre Dame embrace the Catholic position on the sanctity of life. We oppose abortion, and support laws that protect life from conception to natural death. In this respect, we fully agree with the protestors.” We get reaction from Monica Miller, one of those arrested.

4:20 – Vatican Approves New English Mass Translations: What’s Next?
The Vatican has given its approval to the proposed U.S. version of the new edition of the Roman Missal. Benedict XVI expressed his hope that the change in translation will serve "as a springboard for a renewal and a deepening of Eucharistic devotion all over the English-speaking world."A statement from the U.S. bishops clarified that the complete text of the Roman Missal is still being edited by Vatican officials, but is expected later this spring, when it will be prepared for publication. It now falls to the U.S. bishops to decide when to implement the new translation in parishes. We look at the changes, the timeline and the probable reception by the faithful with liturgist Fr. Peter Stravinskas.

4:30 – “The Preacher’s Kid” on DVD
Family, faith and music: small-town girl Angie King leaves the first two behind to pursue a dream of singing stardom. LeToya Luckett of the original Destiny’s Child makes her movie breakthrough in this inspiring tale bursting with music and talent. Luckett plays Angie, the daughter of a stern but loving bishop, whose attraction to the star of a traveling gospel show takes her on the road…and into romance, heartbreak and the realization that happiness may lie in the home she left behind. It’s the film “The Preacher’s Kid” and it’s now out on DVD. We talk with Writer / Director Stan Foster.

4:40 – Vatican Issues Quick Response in Legion Investigation
Saturday morning the Vatican released a comminque summarizing the results of a year-long investigation of the Legionaries of Christ, indicating that Pope Benedict XVI will shortly appoint a special delegate to lead the order and a commission to review its founding documents. Vatican reporter John Allen says the language of the statement is remarkably blunt, referring to a "system of power" created by the founder of the Legionaries, Fr. Marcial Maciel Degollado, designed to hide "true crimes" and a private life "without scruples or authentic religious sentiment." The statement indicated that the Legionaries must follow a "path of purification," including a "sincere encounter" with victims of sexual abuse inside and outside the order. After years of denial, the Legionaries have recently been forced to acknowledge that Maciel lived a double life, including having a child out of wedlock with a woman with whom he was in a long-term relationship and to whom he provided financial support. Maciel has also been accused of sexual abuse of former members of the order. The Vatican statement expressed Pope Benedict's gratitude for the "courage and steadfastness" of those who brought charges against Maciel over the years. John joins us for analysis.

5:00 – Pope moves to take control of Legion of Christ
A Heart Like His: Meditations on the Sacred Heart of Jesus
You can know what's on a man's mind while never giving a second thought to what might be in his heart. But you can't know a man's heart without getting to know him. As Father Thomas Williams shows in his latest book, A Heart Like His, it's no different with Jesus. Except, of course, that the Sacred Heart burns with limitless love for you. We look at the theology of the Sacred Heart, and, of course, ask Fr. Williams about the results of the Vatican investigation into his order – the Legionaries of Christ. What will the Vatican’s decisions mean for the future of the order?

5:40 – Theophilos
St. Luke addressed his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles to a man named Theophilos. Who was Theophilos? Scripture scholars do not know, making him a fit subject for Michael O'Brien's vivid imagination. In this fictional narrative, Theophilos is the skeptical but beloved adoptive father of St. Luke. Challenged by the startling account of the "Christos" received in the chronicle from his beloved son Luke and concerned for the newly zealous young man's fate, Theophilos, a Greek physician and an agnostic, embarks on a search for Luke to bring him home. He is gravely concerned about the deadly illusions Luke has succumbed to regarding the incredible stories surrounding Jesus of Nazareth, a man of contradictions who has caused so much controversy throughout the Roman Empire. Thus begins a long journey that will take Theophilos deep into the war between nations and empires, truth and myth, good and evil, and into unexpected dimensions of his very self. Michael is here to discuss his latest novel.