Podcasts - Catholic Herald

Merely Catholic with Gavin Ashenden

On the Catholic Herald’s weekly podcast, Dr Gavin Ashenden and guests reflect on what’s happening in the Christian world; and shed some light on the most important cultural, spiritual and moral issues of the day.

Dr Ashenden is a former Anglican cleric and Catholic convert who served as Chaplain to the Queen under Elizabeth II.

Our podcast benefits from guests who come from a wide range of professions and backgrounds, offering unique insight of their own. Guests have included: Cardinal George Pell, Dr Scott Hahn, Dr Ralph Martin, Bishop Mark Davies of Shrewsbury, Jacob Rees-Mogg MP, Peter Hitchens, Ann Widdecombe, Monsignor Michael Nazir-Ali, Edward Pentin, and Fr Patrick Pullicino.

Episode 76:

Catholic thought and the crisis of the West, with Michael J. Knowles

Michael J. Knowles, the American broadcaster, political commentator, actor and author, is the guest of Dr Gavin Ashenden for this...

Episode 75:

Banning conversion therapy, with Dr Patricia Morgan

Dr Gavin Ashenden is joined this week by Dr Patricia Morgan, the distinguished sociologist and author of the 2023 book Banning...

Episode 74:

University lynch mobs and the right to life, with Madeline Page

Madeline Page of Right to Life UK joins Dr Gavin Ashenden this week to discuss shocking scenes at Manchester University...

Episode 73:

Politically-incorrect Catholicism, with John Zmirak

Dr Gavin Ashenden is joined this week by John Zmirak, a senior editor of The Stream and author of the new Politically Incorrect...

Episode 72:

Canada’s new ‘Satanic panic’, with Anna Farrow

Dr Gavin Ashenden is joined this week by the distinguished Canadian journalist Anna Farrow to discuss Canada’s hysterical grief over...

Episode 71:

Asylum seekers and fake Christians, with Mgr Michael Nazir Ali

The horrendous chemical attack on a woman and two children by Abdul Ezedi, an Afghan received into Christianity by Baptists...

Episode 70:

A model for Catholic education, with Ferdi McDermott

Ferdi McDermott, the English headmaster and co-founder of Chavagnes International College, a Catholic school for boys in France, joins Dr...

Episode 69:

Priming Catholics for public life, with Stefan Kaminski

Stefan Kaminski, the director of the Christian Heritage Centre at Stonyhurst College, the Catholic independent school in Lancashire, is our guest for...

Episode 68:

Catholics under a Protestant King: Part II, with Dr Joseph Shaw

Dr Joseph Shaw returns for this 68th episode of Merely Catholic, the podcast series for The Catholic Herald, for the second...

Episode 67:

Catholics under a Protestant King, Part I, with Dr Joseph Shaw

The guest for this 67th episode of Merely Catholic, the podcast series for The Catholic Herald, is Dr Joseph Shaw, the...

Episode 66:

Same-sex blessings and the Catholic Church, with Father David Palmer

Fr David Palmer, the Catholic chaplain to Nottingham University, returns to Merely Catholic, the podcast series for the Catholic Herald, to discuss Fiducia...

Episode 65:

The martyrdom of Bishop Álvarez, with Bianca Jagger

Bianca Jagger, the founder, president and chief executive of the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation, joins Dr Gavin Ashenden to...

Episode 64:

No-one dies a martyr for ambiguity, with Bishop Athanasius Schneider

Bishop Athanasius Schneider is our guest for this 64th episode of Merely Catholic, the podcast series for the Catholic Herald. The...

Episode 63:

Finland's woke pogrom, with Paul Coleman

Paul Coleman, the executive director of ADF International, joins Dr Gavin Ashenden to discuss the appalling treatment by the Finnish...

Episode 62:

The crackdown on conservative contrarianism, with Kathy Gyngell

Kathy Gyngell, the co-foundress and editor of The Conservative Woman: Defending Freedom website, joins Dr Gavin Ashenden for the 62nd episode...

Episode 61:

Is Islam really a religion of peace? With Tim Dieppe

In the 61st episode of Merely Catholic, the podcast series for the Catholic Herald, Dr Gavin Ashenden talks to Tim Dieppe about...

Episode 60:

Poland's defence of the family, with Barbara Socha

The struggle between the family and the state has been “a feature of the relentless march of secularism” in the...

Episode 59:

Doubts over the development of doctrine, with Dr Jules Gomes

Can the Pope change the teaching of the Catholic Church by the stroke of a pen during the course of...

Episode 58:

The strife over Strickland, with Mark Lambert

Mark Lambert, the author of a popular blog called De Omnibus Dubitandum Est and a regular on the Catholic Unscripted YouTube channel, returns to Merely...

Episode 57:

A radical vision of complete womanhood, with Megan Madden

In a society obsessed with sex and increasingly confused about what it is to be a man or a woman,...

Episode 56:

Is the Synod a Pandora's Box? With Julio Loredo

The Catholic world has been recently rocked by the publication of a book sent out to every bishop in the...

Episode 55:

At what price a pact with China? With Benedict Rogers

The Vatican’s precarious diplomatic relations with Communist China is the core subject of discussion in this fascinating 55th episode of...

Episode 54:

The hubris of changing the words of Jesus, with Fr Dwight Longenecker

In the Bible, Jesus Christ teaches that God is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, but the Anglican...

Episode 53:

The affirmation of sin, with Edward Pentin

The veteran Rome correspondent Edward Pentin returns to Merely Catholic, the podcast series for the Catholic Herald, to discuss with...

Episode 52:

June, the month of the Sacred Heart, with Justin Brierley

In this 52nd episode of Merely Catholic, the podcast series for The Catholic Herald, Dr Gavin Ashenden is joined by...

Episode 51:

The Paedophile Agenda of the Supra-National Elites, with Kimberly Ells

In the 51st episode, Gavin Ashenden is joined by Kimberly Ells. In 2013, she joined an international organization working to...

Episode 50:

Facing the new authoritarianism, with Ryan Christopher

Ryan Christopher returns to Merely Catholic to discuss the highly motivated political lobby groups behind the swingeing changes to law...

Episode 49:

Confronting 'the Machine': a strategy for Church renewal, with Paul Kingsnorth

In the 49th episode of Merely Catholic, Paul Kingsnorth joins Gavin Ashenden to talk about his journey from environmentalism, on...

Episode 48:

Pachamamas are an insult to God, with Alexander Tschugguel

Dr Gavin Ashenden is joined for this episode of Merely Catholic, the podcast series for the Catholic Herald, by Alexander...

Episode 47:

Out of the shadows and into the light of truth, with Georgia Gilholy

The freelance journalist and commentator Georgia Gilholy joins Dr Gavin Ashenden for this 47th episode of Merely Catholic, the podcast...

Episode 46:

Freedom of speech and why it matters, with Ryan Christopher

Dr Gavin Ashenden is joined for this 46th episode of Merely Catholic, the podcast series for the Catholic Herald, by...

Episode 45:

Monarchy, modernity and the dictatorship of relativism, with Dr Gavin Ashenden

On the eve of the coronation of King Charles III, as the United Kingdom enters a new Carolingian era, Dr...

Episode 44:

In pursuit of holiness in Chicago, with Fr Ryan Brady

On hearing the word Chicago, many people might think either of the dramatic musical of that name or else make...

Episode 43:

The long Good Friday, with John Pontifex

John Pontifex of Aid to the Church in Need, the international Catholic charity helping persecuted Christians, is the guest on...

Episode 42:

Politics and the Catholic faith, with Jacob Rees-Mogg

Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Conservative MP for North East Somerset, discusses his strong Catholic faith with Dr Gavin Ashenden in this...

Episode 41:

Surviving Turbulent Times, with Eduard Habsburg

Dr Gavin Ashenden this week talks to Eduard Habsburg, Hungary’s Ambassador to the Holy See, a member of the former...

Episode 40:

Ezekiel's Fuzzy Logic, with Fr Patrick Pullicino

The Rev. Dr Patrick Pullicino returns to “Merely Catholic”, the podcast series for the Catholic Herald, to talk about presence...

Episode Podcast 39:

The Latin Mass Life Raft, with Dr Joseph Shaw

The guest for this 39th episode of Merely Catholic, the podcast series for The Catholic Herald, is Dr Joseph Shaw, the...

Episode 38:

The New Evangelisation, with Sherry Weddell

Sherry Anne Weddell, the pioneering American Catholic evangeliser, joins Dr Gavin Ashenden for the 38th episode of “Merely Catholic”, the...

Episode 37:

The New Puritans, with Andrew Doyle

Andrew Doyle, the comedian, broadcaster and writer, joins Dr Gavin Ashenden for the 37th episode of Merely Catholic, the podcast...

Episode 36:

The Criminalisation of Prayer, with Isabel Vaughan-Spruce

Isabel Vaughan-Spruce is the guest on this week’s episode of Merely Catholic, the podcast series for the Catholic Herald. The...

Episode 35:

Simon Johnson, Master of Music

In this 35th episode of Merely Catholic, the podcast series for The Catholic Herald, Dr Gavin Ashenden talks to Simon...

Episode 34:

Steve Ray's Personal Pilgrimage

This week Dr Gavin Ashenden talks to Steve Ray, the acclaimed American author of Crossing The Tiber and Upon This...

Episode 33:

Farewell Cardinal Pell, with Edward Pentin

Dr Gavin Ashenden is joined this week by Edward Pentin, the distinguished English Catholic journalist and veteran Rome correspondent, to...

Episode 32:

Archbishop Ganswein's memoirs, with Dr Jules Gomes

Ever since the misleading and fourth rate film The Two Popes appeared on our screens, the public has been understandably...

Episode 31:

The creative generosity of Pope Benedict XVI, with Mgr Andrew Burnham

In the first Merely Catholic podcast for 2023, Dr Gavin Ashenden is joined by Monsignor Andrew Burnham to discuss one...

Episode 30:

Re-imagining English Catholicism, with Serenhedd James

Serenhedd James joins Gavin Ashenden for this 30th episode of Merely Catholic to talk about why it has been historically...

Episode 29:

In defence of ex-Anglicans, with Dr Michael Nazir-Ali

Monsignor Michael Nazir-Ali, the former Anglican Bishop of Rochester who became a Catholic in 2021, joins Dr Gavin Ashenden for...

Episode 28:

Choosing Between Sanctity and Therapy, with Dr Scott Hahn

In this, the 28 episode of Merely Catholic, the podcast series for the Catholic Herald, Dr Gavin Ashenden talks to...

Episode 27:

The Spirit and Meaning of Vatican II, with Mark Lambert

In the 27th episode of Merely Catholic, the podcast series for The Catholic Herald, Dr Gavin Ashenden reflects on the...

Episode 26:

'Another day, another doctrine' - with Fr Dwight Longenecker

As the Anglican Bishop of Oxford, Steven Croft, makes the case for the Church of England allowing same-sex marriage, Father...

Episode 25:

Shakespeare, the faithful Catholic, with Joseph Pearce

Catholic author Joseph Pearce was strongly sceptical of claims that William Shakespeare was secretly a Catholic until he began to...

Episode 24:

The Fiasco of Catholic Education, with Katherine Bennett

Katherine Bennett, a South London school teacher of more than 20 years’ experience, lays bare the crisis of faith convulsing...

Episode 23:

The Role of Religion in Politics, with Ann Widdecombe

In this 23rd episode of Merely Catholic, Dr Gavin Ashenden speaks to former Conservative minister Ann Widdecombe about the tectonic...

Episode 22:

The Power of the Rings, with Ferdie Rous

JRR Tolkien’s masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, is arguably the most read book in the world today. It is also...

Episode 21:

The Beast of Bethulia Park, with Simon Caldwell

Dr Gavin Ashenden talks to the journalist Simon Caldwell about his debut novel, The Beast of Bethulia Park, in this...

Episode 20:

Put not your trust in Princes, with Peter Hitchens

Giorgia Meloni has stunned the liberal West by her election as Prime Minister of Italy after openly espousing the values...

Episode 19:

Defender of Faiths, with Pierpaolo Finaldi

Can King Charles III continue the legacy of his mother by serving as an exemplary Christian monarch or will he...

Episode 18:

God Save the King! with Dr Gavin Ashenden

Dr Gavin Ashenden, a former Royal Chaplain, offers his own insightful and extremely well-informed perspectives on the death of a...

Episode 17:

Cancelled by anti-white racists, with the Rev. Calvin Robinson

This is a fascinating conversation between Dr Gavin Ashenden and the Rev. Calvin Robinson, the mixed race Anglican cleric cancelled...

Episode 16:

The call to holiness, with Bishop Mark Davies

The Rt Rev. Mark Davies, the Bishop of Shrewsbury, talks to Dr Gavin Ashenden about the visit of the relics...

Episode 15:

Sacred or Sinister: the Pope’s Opus Dei initiative, with Jack Valero

Opus Dei found unwelcome fame and undeserved notoriety at the hand of thr infamous but hugely successful novelist Dan Brown....

Episode 14:

When faith is sacrificed to fashion, with Ann Widdecombe

Ann Widdecombe, the former Conservative Cabinet Minister and MEP for the Brexit Party, speaks to fellow Catholic convert Dr Gavin...

Episode 13:

Possessed by ideas, with Laurence Fox

The actor and political activist Laurence Fox joins Dr Gavin Ashenden to discuss the sinister ideologies behind the seemingly relentless...

Episode 12:

The Revival of Catholic Anthropology, with Professor John Loughlin

In the 12th episode of the Merely Catholic podcast series for The Catholic Herald, Dr Gavin Ashenden talks to the...

Episode 11:

A spiritual battle, with Melissa Villalobos

Dr Gavin Ashenden is joined from Chicago by Melissa Villalobos, the recipient of the miracle that led to the canonisation...

Episode 10:

The English Catholic inheritance, with Fr Dwight Longenecker

Father Dwight Longenecker returns to Merely Catholic for the tenth episode of the podcast series for the Catholic Herald, this...

Episode 9:

Those summer knights, with Edmund Adamus

Dr Gavin Ashenden talks to the multi-talented Edmund Adamus about his work with A Fertile Heart, an easy-to-follow Relationships and...

Episode 8:

A can of reformist sardines, with Dr Jules Gomes

Dr Jules Gomes, the Rome correspondent of Church Militant, joins Dr Gavin Ashenden for this eighth episode of our Merely...

Episode 7:

The unbelief in the Church, with Ralph Martin

In the seventh podcast of the Merely Catholic series, Dr Gavin Ashenden talks to Ralph Martin about the ‘all-out civil...

Episode 6:

The politics of abortion, with Richard Doerflinger

The leak of a draft opinion that Roe vs Wade may be soon overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court has...

Episode 5:

Sex and the supernatural, with Fr Dwight Longenecker

In the fifth of our Merely Catholic podcast series, Dr Gavin Ashenden is joined from Jerusalem by Father Dwight Longenecker,...

Episode 4:

Strange and false gods, with Fr David Palmer

Dr Gavin Ashenden speaks to Father David Palmer, chaplain to Nottingham University, about shocking sexual blasphemy in a children’s book...

Episode 3:

My friend Newman, with Melissa Villalobos

For the third podcast in our Merely Catholic series, Dr Gavin Ashenden is joined from Chicago by Melissa Villalobos, the...

Episode 2:

Something sinister about the Synod, with Cardinal George Pell

“What weight do we give to the teaching of Jesus Christ and the Apostles?” In the second episode of our...

Episode 1:

The secret of the Passion, with Rev. Dr Patrick Pullicino

“When they came to Jesus, they saw he was already dead, and so instead of breaking his legs one of...

Make A Donation

Areas of Catholic Herald business are still recovering post-pandemic.

However, we are reaching out to the Catholic community and readership, that has been so loyal to the Catholic Herald. Please join us on our 135 year mission by supporting us.

We are raising £250,000 to safeguard the Herald as a world-leading voice in Catholic journalism and teaching.

We have been a bold and influential voice in the church since 1888, standing up for traditional Catholic culture and values. Please consider donating.