Catholic Connection – Dec 19, 2023 – Hr 2
Dr. Matthew Bunson addressing the news of priests being able to bless same-sex couples. Dr. Scott Hahn on the Grand Getaway 2024 and his book “Catholics in Exile.” Joseph Pearce with “The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful.”
Segment 1 – Vatican Says Priests Can Bless Same-Sex Couples Without Condoning Their Lifestyles
“The ruling — the latest in a flurry of documents published by the DDF since Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández took over as prefect in September — is likely to generate further controversy on the issue, with both proponents and critics seeing it as a possible opening to additional changes down the road.” Read more here. Dr. Bunson breaks it all down for us.

Dr. Matthew Bunson is vice president and editorial director of EWTN News. For the past 20 years, Dr. Bunson has been active in the area of Catholic social communications and education, including writing, editing, and teaching on a variety of topics related to Church history, the papacy, the saints and Catholic culture. He is a senior fellow of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology and the author or co-author of over 50 books.
Segment 2 & 3 – Grand Getaway 2024
“The Corporate Travel annual Grand Getaway is a beloved tradition that nurtures the faith of all who attend. The mutual witness of our Catholic faith each year creates a very special atmosphere of fun and joy that has a profound impact on all who participate! This year, we are very privileged to welcome Kimberly and Dr. Scott Hahn, Fr. John Riccardo, and Fr. Josh Johnson!” Dr. Hahn joins Teresa to tell us all about it. He also spends time on his new book, “Catholics in Exile: Biblical Wisdom for the Journey Home.”

Dr. Scott Hahn is the Fr. Michael Scanlan Professor of Biblical Theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he has taught since 1990. Founder and President of the St. Paul Center, Dr. Hahn has been married to Kimberly since 1979; they have six children and nineteen grandchildren. The author or editor of over forty popular and academic books, Dr. Hahn’s works include best-selling titles Rome Sweet Home, The Lamb’s Supper, and The First Society.
Segment 4 – The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful: A History in Three Dimensions
“Christ is ‘the way, and the truth, and the life’, but fallen mankind, although made in Christ’s image, is not so pure. Human history—including Church history—is a tapestry woven of three threads: the good, the bad, and the beautiful. This book tells the story of Christendom over two millennia, focusing on what was good, bad, and beautiful in each century.” (Originally aired December 13, 2023)

A native of England, Joseph Pearce is Director of Book Publishing at the Augustine Institute, and editor of the St. Austin Review, editor of Faith & Culture, series editor of the Ignatius Critical Editions, senior instructor with Homeschool Connections, and senior contributor at the Imaginative Conservative. He is the internationally acclaimed author of many books, including The Quest for Shakespeare, Tolkien: Man and Myth, The Unmasking of Oscar Wilde, C. S. Lewis and The Catholic Church, Literary Converts, Wisdom and Innocence: A Life of G.K. Chesterton, Solzhenitsyn: A Soul in Exile and Old Thunder: A Life of Hilaire Belloc.