Today on "Kresta in the Afternoon" - December 22, 2011

Talking about the "things that matter most" on Dec. 22

Countdown of the Top Interviews of 2011

4:00 - #29 The Church and New Media: Blogging Converts, Online Activists, and Bishops Who Tweet
We're experiencing the biggest communication shift since the printing press. Millions have adopted Facebook, YouTube, blogs, and Twitter. What does this mean for the Church? How can Christians harness these new tools to reach out, teach, cultivate community, and change the world? Following Pope Benedict's call to evangelize the "digital continent," Brandon Vogt explores the power and risks of New Media while guiding Christians through this new environment.

5:00 – #28 Anita Caspary: Dissenter or Pioneer for Women Religious?
Anita Caspary, the former superior of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters who led 315 sisters out of religious life in 1970, died Oct. 5 at the age of 95. Caspary’s influence lives on, however, for she was the first modern sister to publicly challenge the Church hierarchy and the Vatican about the nature of religious life. Obituary writers have been lavish in praising Caspary’s accomplishments, but many of those obituaries simply repeat misinformation and propaganda and fail to probe the actual events that have had a profound and lasting impact on religious life. Ann Carey, author of Sisters in Crisis: The Tragic Unraveling of Women’s Religious Communities, is here to discuss Caspary’s legacy

5:20 - #27 China, the Economy and Human Rights
President Barack Obama issued a finely tuned call for greater respect for human rights on today in his speech to welcome his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao. Hu's four-day state visit to the United States has become a lightning rod for advocates of China's minority Uighurs, Tibetans, imprisoned democracy advocates and other disgruntled groups. Hundreds have converged on Washington to protest. Meanwhile, the issue of the economy and China’s massive holding of US debt continues to be the main topic of conversation. We talk with Philip Levy of the American Enterprise Institute and David Aikman, author and China expert about China, the economy and human rights.

5:40 – #26 Kresta Comments: Susan Sarandan Calls the Pope a “Nazi” – The Myth Continues
During an interview with filmmaker Bob Balaban this weekend at the Hamptons film festival, the actress mentioned she had sent the Holy Father a copy of Sister Helen Prejean's Dead Men Walking, which inspired the 1995 film for which she won an Oscar. "The last [pope]," she clarified, referring to Pope John Paul II. "Not this Nazi one we have now." After Balaban's shocked response, Sarandon simply repeated the remark, drawing some laughs from their audience at the Bay Street Theater. We talk about Sarandan’s ill-informed statement and set the record straight on this myth of Pope Benedict and WWII.