Kresta In The Afternoon

Talking about the "things that matter most" on Sept. 28

4:00 - CNN: “What the Pope Knew”
This weekend CNN aired a special entitled “What the Pope Knew” – focusing on the worldwide clerical sex abuse scandal. According to CNN promo material “CNN national correspondent Gary Tuchman reports for What the Pope Knew, investigating some of the most notorious pedophile priest cases in the United States and finds that the pope, as Cardinal Ratzinger, had direct responsibility for how they were handled. CNN’s investigation reveals that Ratzinger opposed or slowed down the defrocking of some priests, including convicted child molesters.” Matthew Bunson is here to respond.

4:20 – Camped just outside the gates of hell
If any place on earth could be described as God-forsaken, it would be the Chicago streets where drug-ravaged young men sell their bodies in prostitution. But every night, John Green’s Emmaeus Ministries proves that God is there. For twenty years, Emmaus has been a source of transformation for some of the most tragic human beings in our society. After a comfortable suburban upbringing, John has worked with runaways and the homeless in New York and Latin America. Discerning a call to minister to young people on the streets, especially young men caught up in sexual exploitation, he founded Emmaus. Through faith, hope, and unconditional love, Emmaus uncovers the image of God where it is most deeply and cruelly hidden. He is here to share.

4:40 – USCCB Reprimands 2 Creighton Theologians Over Their Book The Sexual Person
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on Wednesday issued a sharply worded rebuke of a book co-authored by two Creighton University theologians. The Sexual Person: Toward a Renewed Catholic Anthropology was published in 2008 and written by Todd A. Salzman, chairman of the Creighton University Department of Theology, and Michael G. Lawler, the department’s professor emeritus. The book attempts to provide moral justification for contemporary sexual behaviors that consistently have been held to be immoral by the Catholic Church. Drafted by the USCCB’s Committee on Doctrine, it calls the authors’ conclusions “a radical departure from the Catholic theological tradition,” erroneous, and “harmful to one’s moral and spiritual life.” We talk to Fr. Daniel Mindling of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary.

5:00 – Pope Visits U.K. / Beatifies Newman: A Recap
A rainbow appeared over Cofton Park as Pope Benedict arrived last Sunday morning for the beatification Mass of Cardinal John Henry Newman, the 19th century English theologian who has had a significant influence on the Holy Father's own life. Large numbers of faithful from all over the country and further afield had braved the rain and made their way from the very early hours of the morning to the venue near Birmingham, not far from Cardinal Newman's resting place. This was a particularly special beatification Mass: not only was it the only such Mass celebrated by Benedict XVI, but it was also the first beatification of an Englishman for centuries. The Holy Father arrived in the popemobile and, as in Glasgow earlier in the week, was driven through a crowd of around 70,000 jubilant pilgrims. On either side of the purpose-built altar were the words 'Heart Speaks to Heart', the theme chosen by the Pope for the papal visit, and taken from the crest of Cardinal Newman. It was the highlight of the Papal visit to the UK and Fr. C. John McCloskey is here to recap the Papal visit with us.