The Paul Street Journal podcast has begun its second season by getting a closer look at Catholic Social Teaching through the lens of the papal encyclicals — how they have taken the timeless truths found in Scripture and applied them to modern economics.
The Paterson Diocese recently launched the first episode of the second season of The Paul Street Journal, which delves into Rerum Novarum, or the Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor, a historic encyclical issued in 1891 by Pope Leo XIII. Future episodes will explore several encyclicals, including those that reflect on Rerum Novarum and make refinements to Catholic doctrine.
Since its debut last May, The Paul Street Journal has sought to explore the foundational principles of Catholic Social Teaching on economics to answer questions on topics such as taxation, care for the poor, and investing. It’s produced by the Office of Evangelization at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison.
The podcast is hosted by Freddy Garcia-Arequipa, associate coordinator of evangelization and diocesan campus minister, and Brian Honsberger, St. Paul’s executive director and diocesan director of mission and technology integration.
“We want to help our audience understand the universal Church’s doctrine on economics. We are teaching how it was created, how it is to be understood, and how it’s propagated today,” said Garcia-Arequipa. They speak about the doctrine in light of key principles of Catholic Social Teaching, which include the infinite dignity of the human person, the right to private property, and kenosis: self-giving love, he said. “People appreciate that we present the material in an easily digestible and relatable way.”
The first season of The Paul Street Journal explored the Scriptural roots of Catholic Social Teaching. The conversation shifted to European history — from Rome to the discovery of the New World — and how the Church was involved. Garcia-Arequipa and Honsberger also explored various political and economic philosophies.
“The Catholic perspective on economics doesn’t align with Republican or Democrat politics. The Church is 2,000 years old — much older than either political party,” said Honsberger. He noted that the podcast’s information and perspectives will likely be relevant to the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
St. Paul’s produces another podcast, Coffee with Kupke. On it, Father Paul Manning, diocesan vicar for evangelization, talks about diocesan history with Msgr. Raymond Kupke, diocesan archivist and pastor of St. Anthony Parish in Hawthorne. Episodes of each St. Paul’s podcast are released online every other week on Wednesdays.
The two St. Paul’s podcasts joined Beyond The Beacon, a weekly podcast of the diocese, also launched last year. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and Jai Agnish, diocesan communications director and editor of The Beacon newspaper, converse on faith, news, events of the diocese, and more. They also conduct interviews with everyday Catholics living out their faith.
The two St. Paul’s podcasts are available on the evangelization center’s YouTube channel and on all major podcast platforms. Beyond The Beacon is available on Bishop Sweeney’s YouTube channel and on all major podcast platforms.