Podcast Episodes

Should devout Christians be scared of a Joe Biden presidency?

The next president of the United States is, we are told, a devout Catholic who scrupulously attends Sunday Mass. This is in sharp contrast to the cur…

5 years, 7 months ago

Why the fantasy narrative of the Vatican's McCarrick report is already falling apart

In this episode of Holy Smoke, Damian Thompson says the Vatican's report on allegations of sexual assault by Theodore McCarrick is a whitewash. 

Becom…

5 years, 8 months ago

'If necessary I'll be arrested': the lockdown defying priest

Has there been a single Covid death as a result of someone attending a socially distanced church service? The answer is no, as you'd expect it to be.…

5 years, 8 months ago

A charity that actually transforms lives: Team Domenica

Ask yourself: who are the most vulnerable and marginalised people in British society? My answer would be young adults suffering from learning disabil…

5 years, 8 months ago

Is Pope Francis's Vatican turning into Richard Nixon's White House?

There was a point in the Watergate scandal when revelations came so thick and fast that journalists struggled to keep up with them. And we seem to ha…

5 years, 9 months ago

The humiliation of Becciu and the return of Pell

The Vatican is this week in the grip of a paranoia reminiscent of the days when Renaissance popes (and their dinner guests) were forced to employ foo…

5 years, 9 months ago

Is it time for Christianity to go underground?

Boris Johnson's package of Covid restrictions announced this week included a rule that weddings will be limited to 15 people and funerals to 30 – num…

5 years, 9 months ago

Westminster Cathedral and an act of spiritual vandalism

The row over the evisceration of Westminster Cathedral Choir has erupted again. The cathedral's excellent music administrator, Madeline Smith, has re…

5 years, 10 months ago

Are the Habsburgs evidence of Catholicism's relevance today?

Damian Thompson is joined by Eduard Habsburg-Lothringen, Hungary's ambassador to the Holy See. A member of one of Europe's most historically influent…

5 years, 10 months ago

The Vatican's sinister deal with Beijing

Next month, the Vatican will talk to Beijing about renewing its 2018 deal with the Chinese Communist Party that effectively allowed President Xi to c…

5 years, 11 months ago