The Catholic Herald Podcast: Merely Catholic with Gavin Ashenden
On the Catholic Herald's weekly podcast, Gavin Ashenden and guests will 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.
Episodes
June 26, 2025 • 46 mins
David Alton, the Catholic crossbench peer and former MP, joins Dr Gavin Ashenden to discuss the recent vote for abortion up to and during birth.
They reflect on the hijacking by MPs of the Crime and Policing Bill to decriminalise abortion for any reason and at any stage in pregnancy, and also the passage of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) through the House of Commons.
In this 103rd episode of Merely Catholic, t...
They reflect on the hijacking by MPs of the Crime and Policing Bill to decriminalise abortion for any reason and at any stage in pregnancy, and also the passage of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) through the House of Commons.
In this 103rd episode of Merely Catholic, t...
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June 20, 2025 • 44 mins
Lois McLatchie Miller, a Christian activist, was arrested in Brussel for wearing a billboard which read: “Children are never born in the wrong body.”
She was detained alongside Canadian child protection advocate Chris Elston, known as “Billboard Chris” (@BillboardChris), after they were surrounded by an angry mob.
In spite of the pair’s peaceful conduct, police arrested Ms McLatchie Miller and Billboard Chris rather th...
She was detained alongside Canadian child protection advocate Chris Elston, known as “Billboard Chris” (@BillboardChris), after they were surrounded by an angry mob.
In spite of the pair’s peaceful conduct, police arrested Ms McLatchie Miller and Billboard Chris rather th...
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May 30, 2025 • 35 mins
Edward Pentin, the distinguished English Catholic journalist and veteran Rome correspondent, returns to Merely Catholic to discuss the conclusion of the pontificate of Pope Francis and the new reign of Pope Leo XIV.
An acknowledged media expert on the workings of the papacy and of the Vatican in general, in 2015 he authored The Rigging of a Vatican Synod? An Investigation into Alleged Manipulation at the Extraordinary Syno...
An acknowledged media expert on the workings of the papacy and of the Vatican in general, in 2015 he authored The Rigging of a Vatican Synod? An Investigation into Alleged Manipulation at the Extraordinary Syno...
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May 5, 2025 • 40 mins
The award winning former Catholic Herald editor William Cash joins Dr Gavin Ashenden from Rome to discuss the forthcoming conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis in this 100th Merely Catholic podcast.
They discuss how Francis came to be elected, reflect on the invisible machinations already under way to choose the next pope, and they consider several of those members of the College of Cardinals who are drawing attent...
They discuss how Francis came to be elected, reflect on the invisible machinations already under way to choose the next pope, and they consider several of those members of the College of Cardinals who are drawing attent...
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April 24, 2025 • 48 mins
Journalist and author Simon Caldwell returns to Merely Catholic to discuss his new thriller, Lady Mabel’s Gold, with Dr Gavin Ashenden in this 99th episode.
A standalone sequel to The Beast of Bethulia Park, the author’s 2022 debut, Lady Mabel’s Gold has been praised by former Catholic Herald editor William Cash as a “truly original novel with excellent writing, clever plot twists and a cast of memorable characters which p...
A standalone sequel to The Beast of Bethulia Park, the author’s 2022 debut, Lady Mabel’s Gold has been praised by former Catholic Herald editor William Cash as a “truly original novel with excellent writing, clever plot twists and a cast of memorable characters which p...
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April 11, 2025 • 61 mins
Tim Dieppe, the head of public policy at Christian Concern, joins Dr Gavin Ashenden for this 97th episode of Merely Catholic, the podcast series for the Catholic Herald, to discuss his new book, The Challenge of Islam.
This book discusses the increasing influence of Islam in the UK and how non-Muslims might respond. Chapters include: “Is Islam a Religion of Peace?”, “Is Islam Antisemitic?”, “What's wrong with Multiculturalism?”, a...
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March 14, 2025 • 54 mins
Conservative Party peer Lord (Nigel) Biggar CBE, the Regius Professor Emeritus of Moral Theology at the University of Oxford and an Anglican priest, joins Dr Gavin Ashenden for this 96th episode of Merely Catholic, the podcast series for the Catholic Herald.
Lord Biggar, an Oxford-educated historian and author of the 2023 book Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning, reflects on the plan by the Church of England to pay £100 million...
Lord Biggar, an Oxford-educated historian and author of the 2023 book Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning, reflects on the plan by the Church of England to pay £100 million...
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February 24, 2025 • 24 mins
Rod Dreher’s close friendship with U.S. Vice President JD Vance is the subject of this 96th episode of Merely Catholic, the podcast series for the Catholic Herald.
He and Dr Gavin Ashenden discuss Mr Vance’s shocking accusation in a landmark speech at the Munich that the greatest threat to European security is not posed by Russia or China but by the European elites, and the extent to which Europe is “changing sides” with i...
He and Dr Gavin Ashenden discuss Mr Vance’s shocking accusation in a landmark speech at the Munich that the greatest threat to European security is not posed by Russia or China but by the European elites, and the extent to which Europe is “changing sides” with i...
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January 28, 2025 • 42 mins
The rapid promotion by Pope Francis of Cardinal Robert McElroy as the new Archbishop of Washington DC has astonished many within the Catholic Church.
Mark Lambert, the author of a popular blog called De Omnibus Dubitandum Est and a regular on the Catholic Unscripted YouTube channel, joins Dr Gavin Ashenden for this 95th episode of Merely Catholic to analyse what might lie behind the motivations of the Holy See in choo...
Mark Lambert, the author of a popular blog called De Omnibus Dubitandum Est and a regular on the Catholic Unscripted YouTube channel, joins Dr Gavin Ashenden for this 95th episode of Merely Catholic to analyse what might lie behind the motivations of the Holy See in choo...
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January 21, 2025 • 48 mins
Dr Calum Miller, a medical doctor working within the NHS, joins Dr Gavin Ashenden for this 93rd episode of Merely Catholic, the podcast series for the Catholic Herald.
Dr Miller graduated from the University of Oxford Medical School in 2015. As a researcher at the University of Oxford, he has published more than 30 academic papers in medicine, law, philosophy and ethics – examining such complex subjects as examined in...
Dr Miller graduated from the University of Oxford Medical School in 2015. As a researcher at the University of Oxford, he has published more than 30 academic papers in medicine, law, philosophy and ethics – examining such complex subjects as examined in...
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January 14, 2025 • 66 mins
Following the enforced resignation of Justice Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury, numerous assessments have been made about his role in the post. Today, Gavin Ashenden is joined by an authoritative Anglican commentator from America, Canon George Conger. George is both an Episcopalian clergyman and a journalist. He is the author some 6,000 articles . His work has appeared in the Guardian, the Times, the Telegraph and the Washing...
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December 18, 2024 • 54 mins
This week, Dr Gavin Ashenden is joined by Karen Anstiss, the service manager for Caritas Bakhita House, a safe house in London for trafficked and exploited women which is run by the Catholic Church.
A former police officer, Miss Anstiss charts the origins of the project 10 years ago as part of a broader response to the “endemic and deeply embedded” global problem of an estimated 50 million people trapped in modern-day...
A former police officer, Miss Anstiss charts the origins of the project 10 years ago as part of a broader response to the “endemic and deeply embedded” global problem of an estimated 50 million people trapped in modern-day...
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November 29, 2024 • 43 mins
The Catholic novelist Fiorella De Maria discusses Catholic literature for Christmas with Dr Gavin Ashenden for this 91st episode of Merely Catholic. Fiorella tells how she wrote her first book in the summer after graduating from university before she went on to publish about a dozen books with San Francisco-based Ignatius Press and to win the Book Prize of Malta. Her works include acclaimed murder mysteries, biographies of sa...
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November 19, 2024 • 45 mins
Ann Widdecombe, the former Conservative Party minister, joins Dr Gavin Ashenden in this 90th episode of Merely Catholic, the podcast series for the Catholic Herald, to discuss the resignation of Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury and the future of the Church of England.
Miss Widdecombe, who, like Dr Ashenden was a member of the Church of England before converting to the Catholic faith, charts the leadership diff...
Miss Widdecombe, who, like Dr Ashenden was a member of the Church of England before converting to the Catholic faith, charts the leadership diff...
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November 8, 2024 • 55 mins
In this 89th episode of Merely Catholic, the podcast series for the Catholic Herald, Rod Dreher talks to Dr Gavin Ashenden about his new book, Living in Wonder: Finding Mystery and Meaning in a Secular Age.
With increasing numbers of young people in the West seeking spirituality in esoteric religions or the Occult, Mr Dreher argues that the Church must act urgently to rediscover and better express the mysterious beaut...
With increasing numbers of young people in the West seeking spirituality in esoteric religions or the Occult, Mr Dreher argues that the Church must act urgently to rediscover and better express the mysterious beaut...
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October 22, 2024 • 59 mins
Professor David Albert Jones, the director of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre, Oxford, joins Dr Gavin Ashenden for this 88th episode of Merely Catholic, the podcast series for the Catholic Herald.
They discuss the rush to assisted suicide ahead of a crucial vote to legalise the practice in the House of Commons on November 29 and the horrible realities of what a change of the law will mean.
Professor Jones is th...
They discuss the rush to assisted suicide ahead of a crucial vote to legalise the practice in the House of Commons on November 29 and the horrible realities of what a change of the law will mean.
Professor Jones is th...
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September 20, 2024 • 66 mins
Dr Gavin Ashenden is joined for this 87th episode of Merely Catholic, the podcast series for the Catholic Herald, by Andrew Jacoby, an American businessman and entrepreneur.
Mr Jacoby, who converted to the Catholic faith from the Judaism of his youth and the “hedonistic lifestyle” of his later years when he travelled the world as a musician, explains how he was ultimately drawn to the Church by “the truth”.
H...
Mr Jacoby, who converted to the Catholic faith from the Judaism of his youth and the “hedonistic lifestyle” of his later years when he travelled the world as a musician, explains how he was ultimately drawn to the Church by “the truth”.
H...
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September 2, 2024 • 53 mins
Dom Alcuin Reid, the distinguished Australian Benedictine who founded the Monastère Saint-Benoît in Fréjus-Toulon, France, joins Dr Gavin Ashenden for this 86th episode of Merely Catholic, the podcast series for the Catholic Herald.
Dom Alcuin is an internationally-recognised expert on the liturgy, having published and lectured on the subject extensively. Among his works are The Organic Development of the Liturgy...
Dom Alcuin is an internationally-recognised expert on the liturgy, having published and lectured on the subject extensively. Among his works are The Organic Development of the Liturgy...
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August 22, 2024 • 54 mins
Dr Gavin Ashenden is joined on Merely Catholic this week by Dr Derry Connolly, the founding president of John Paul the Great Catholic University, California.
Dr Connolly charts his journey from his youth in rural County Cork, Ireland, and a career in engineering and technology in Los Angeles to the moment when “God put it in my heart” to establish a “radically different” Catholic university in San Diego to harness the powe...
Dr Connolly charts his journey from his youth in rural County Cork, Ireland, and a career in engineering and technology in Los Angeles to the moment when “God put it in my heart” to establish a “radically different” Catholic university in San Diego to harness the powe...
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July 30, 2024 • 50 mins
The Rt Rev. Joseph Strickland, the former Bishop of Tyler, Texas, who was “relieved” of his duties by Pope Francis last year, joins Dr Gavin Ashenden for this 84th episode of Merely Catholic, the podcast series for the Catholic Herald
They discuss his removal from office and the post-modern assault on truth in the Church and in the world, and other subjects including the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, the Fr...
They discuss his removal from office and the post-modern assault on truth in the Church and in the world, and other subjects including the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, the Fr...
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