This week on “Jesuitical,” Ashley and guest host Sebastian unpack the trend of “hot priests” on social media with Maggie Phillips, a contributing writer for Tablet Magazine.

00:00 Welcome to an all-new season of Jesuitical!
2:04 What's on tap this week? (Yes, we sometimes talk about being Catholic over drinks)
5:50 Pope Leo has thoughts about gun violence
10:10 What Pope Leo's meeting with Fr. James Martin tells us about his priorities
12:29 Pope Leo's summer vacation: tennis, appointments and
14:35 The pope's brother, John, is showing us a very human side of Leo
18:09 The pope's first foreign trip is coming up
19:12 Why 'hot priests' (and the Catholic Church) are having a moment right now
23:18 Is the 'hot priest' trend cool or cringe?
26:13 What makes these priests 'hot'?
30:21 What priests think about this phenomenon
33:30 Is the 'hot priest' trend reflective of more traditional Catholicism?
36:58 The high risks and high rewards of digital ministry
51:44 If you could canonize one person, who would it be and why?
56:06 Faith sharing with Emma Camp: The case for showing up to church even if you don't believe in God

Links for further reading:
“Thou Shalt Not Scroll Past a Hot Priest”: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/belief/articles/hot-priests-catholic-church-instagram
Maggie’s article in America: "Lay volunteers are often the backbone of Catholic parishes. But they need support, too": https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2024/11/14/parish-volunteers-249261
Emma’s article: “The case for showing up to church—even if you don’t believe in God”: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2024/06/11/church-community-nones-247904
“Pope Leo calls for stop to ‘the pandemic of arms’ after Minnesota Catholic school shooting”: https://www.americamagazine.org/vatican-dispatch/2025/08/31/pope-leo-calls-for-stop-to-the-pandemic-of-arms-after-minnesota-school-shooting
“Pope Leo’s response to the Minneapolis Catholic school shooting: 3 takeaways”: https://www.americamagazine.org/news-analysis/2025/09/03/pope-leo-minneapolis-catholic-school-shooting
“Father James Martin: Pope Leo wants to continue Francis’ approach to LGBTQ Catholics”: https://www.americamagazine.org/faithinfocus/2025/09/03/pope-leo-james-martin-lgbtq-catholic
“Pope Leo just extended his vacation. What do popes do to relax?”: https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2025/07/21/pope-leo-vacation-251161
“14 Things We Learned About Pope Leo From His Brother’s Latest Interview”: https://www.ncregister.com/news/pope-leo-xiv-brother-john-interview-14-things

Jesuitical is a podcast for saints and sinners, discussing the Catholic Church and our world today, sometimes over drinks. What’s on tap? Aperol Spritz

Production assistance from Kevin Christopher Robles and Will Gualtiere

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