Catholic Answers LIVE
Catholic Answers Live, hosted by Cy Kellett, is a daily, two-hour radio program dedicated to Catholic apologetics and evangelization. According to listener surveys, it is a runaway favorite on Catholic stations across America.
As a call-in program, Catholic Answers Live connects listeners to prominent leaders in the Church today—including scholars, nuns, priests, bishops, and cardinals—and touches on every aspect of our lives as Christians. You'll hear discussions on just about everything relating to the Church: doctrinal controversies, family concerns, social issues, evangelization, ethics…you name it!
Catholic Answers Live airs every Monday through Friday from 6-8 PM Eastern (3-4 PM Pacific) on over 360 AM and FM stations in the United States, Sirius Satellite Radio channel 130, and through the Internet at catholic.com. If you can't listen live, you can subscribe to our podcast or download individual shows from our MP3 archive.
Call in with your question at 1-888-31-TRUTH!
Most Recent Episodes
If it were possible to control another person telepathically or psychokinetically, could you force them to convert to Christianity—and would that conversion even be valid? In this episode of Catholic Answers Live, Jimmy Akin tackles unusual questions at the intersection of Catholic theology, science, history, and pop culture. He examines whether baptisms performed by the character Mr. Eko on Lost would be valid, whether Jesus received DNA from Mary, and how Catholics should respond to ancient-alien theories that reinterpret God, angels, and biblical events as extraterrestrial encounters. Jimmy also discusses the credibility of controversial claims made by Malachi Martin and breaks down the differences between Newtonian physics, special relativity, and general relativity.
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Questions Covered:
05:34 – Let’s suppose for a moment here that it is possible to either telepathically or psychokinetically link up to another person to the point of being able affect their bodily motions or in other words, let’s suppose that possessing other humans can be done. Let’s suppose the host is a non-Christian and the possessor a Christian. If the possessor, while inside of the host’s body, pilots them into going to confession and declares Christ as Lord and Savior, is this a conversion and additionally would this be permitted? Why or why not?
17:10 – On the show LOST: are the baptisms performed on the island by “Father Eko” valid? The usual “desert island scenario” does not quite cover it. Eko is not a priest but is only impersonating one. And neither of the baptized was in imminent danger of death (although Charlie thought so on the basis of a dream) but survived at least into Season 5.
21:01 – I know this will be speculation, but do we have any proof one or the other whether the Holy Spirit used one of Mary’s eggs so there would be a DNA connection between them? Or is the general understanding that the Holy Spirit implanted an embryo in her, independent of her DNA?
28:42 – I saw an interview with Giorgio A. Tsoukalos, the ancient alien theorist on National Georgraphy YouTube… He claimed dozens of alien species have been with humanity for millions of years… Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed not by the Wrath of God but by a UFO. Tsukalos and other co-working theorists hold to the idea that we were visited by aliens during the pyramid era. For example, Tsukalos says that the Aztecs have carvings saying they saw huge giant snakes flying thousands of years ago (flying planes)… or floating turtles hovering over them (flying UFO discs) he claims it simply came down to misinterpreted technology from aliens for their lack of better words and explanations of what they saw… and therefore calling them Gods. This makes a lot of sense to me. Is it blasphemous to think or call God (the father) and his angels… aliens? What do you think about this misinterpreted technology?
44:34 – Malachi Martin made some weird complaints about things allegedly happening in the Vatican. How credible was he?
49:11 – What does the theory of relativity add or detract from the galelei-Newton system of coordinates? Was it just factoring in light speed? I’m reading through the theory now and I don’t even get the difference between general and special (specific?) relativity.
<p>“Are Catholics misled by leftist groups?” This question opens a discussion on the naivety some Catholics may have regarding social justice issues. The conversation also touches on the positive impact of refraining from Sunday shopping and draws parallels between personal trials and those faced by Christ, highlighting the diverse challenges and reflections within the faith.</p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit </span><a href="https://www.catholic.com/speakers"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Catholicanswersspeakers.com</span></a></p>
<p><strong>Questions Covered:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>02:00 – I think Catholics have to understand they are being coopted by these leftist organizations. A lot of Catholics are very naive about social justice issues.</li>
<li>07:40 – We stopped going to businesses to do any shopping on Sundays and it has been a good change.</li>
<li>17:30 – Joan’s trial tracks very closely with that of our Lord.</li>
<li>22:00 – I’ve been a widow for 11 years. Before he died my favorite gift to give him was flannel shirts (he was a logger). I still wear his shirts. It has meant so much to me to watch Catholic Answers and the Flannel Panel.</li>
<li>29:40 – Why are companies open on Sundays anyway when they know they won’t get business from a lot of Christians?</li>
</ul>
<p>Mark Twain’s Joan of Arc? This question leads to a discussion about her life and legacy, alongside insights into Mark Twain’s views and the role of Isabelle Romée. The conversation also touches on contemporary issues, including Amnesty International’s stance on abortion, providing a rich exploration of faith and morality.</p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit </span><a href="https://www.catholic.com/speakers"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Catholicanswersspeakers.com</span></a></p>
<p><strong>Questions Covered:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>06:00 – Mark Twain’s Joan of Arc</li>
<li>16:50 – Mark Twain</li>
<li>21:50 – Isabelle Romée</li>
<li>28:00 – CA books translated</li>
<li>36:50 – Amnesty International and abortion</li>
</ul>
<p>Does the thief on the cross prove that Confession and the entire sacramental system are optional? In this episode of <em data-start="230" data-end="253" data-is-only-node="">Catholic Answers Live</em>, Catholic Answers apologists respond to major objections to the Sacrament of Confession, including whether private confession is a medieval invention and whether the seal of confession dangerously protects criminals. The discussion examines whether penance amounts to works-righteousness, whether Confession encourages a cycle of “sin, confess, repeat,” and why receiving absolution is not an attempt to earn forgiveness. They also address concerns about women confessing sexual sins to celibate male priests, explain why Confession should be understood as good news rather than a burden, and explore what Catholics receive in the confessional that they would miss by simply asking God for forgiveness privately.</p>
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<p><a href="https://wvw.catholic.com/radioclub?email">Join the Catholic Answers Live Club Newsletter</a></p>
<p>Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit <a href="https://www.catholic.com/speakers">Catholicanswersspeakers.com</a></p>
</div>
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<p><strong>Questions Covered:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>01:20 – Doesn’t the thief on the cross prove the whole sacramental system is optional? So why should any of us bother with the sacrament?</li>
<li>06:16 – Isn’t private confession a medieval invention, not something apostolic? (Doesn’t history show the confessional isn’t apostolic at all?)</li>
<li>15:01 – Isn’t the seal of confession a dangerous rule that shields criminals? (How is that not dangerous — protecting criminals and endangering the public?)</li>
<li>22:37 – Isn’t assigning penance works-righteousness that denies ‘Christ paid it all’? (Isn’t penance just topping up a payment Jesus already made in full?)</li>
<li>41:51 – But confession, penance, absolution sounds like works you perform to earn your way back. Isn’t that the opposite of the gospel?</li>
<li>34:05 – Doesn’t confession give a license to sin — sin, confess, repeat? (If it’s that easy to reset, why would anyone take sin seriously?)</li>
<li>44:49 – Is it appropriate for a woman to confess sexual sins to a celibate man? (Is it even against God’s design to have a woman confess her sexual sins to a man — and a celibate one at that? Doesn’t that put her in a humiliating position?)</li>
<li>47:00 – Why is confession good news, not a burden?</li>
<li>50:20 – For the person who says ‘I can just tell God I’m sorry from my kitchen table’ — what does the Catholic receive in that confessional that they’d otherwise miss?</li>
</ul>
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<p>Why do Catholics confess their sins to a priest instead of going directly to Jesus? In this episode of Catholic Answers Live, Catholic Answers apologists respond to major Protestant objections to the Sacrament of Confession. They explain how a priest can say “I absolve you” without claiming to be God, why the priesthood of all believers does not eliminate the ministerial priesthood, and whether John 20 gives the apostles the authority to actually forgive sins or merely announce God’s forgiveness. The discussion also examines how this authority was passed on after the apostles, what the Bible means when it commands Christians to confess their sins, and whether perfect contrition makes sacramental confession unnecessary.</p>
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<p>Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit <a href="https://www.catholic.com/speakers">Catholicanswersspeakers.com</a></p>
<p><strong>Questions Covered:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>01:51 – Why do I have to confess to a priest — can’t I go straight to Jesus?</li>
<li>5:00 – Because priests are not God, when a priest says ‘I absolve you,’ how is that not the blasphemy the scribes accused Jesus of?</li>
<li>07:45 – Why a special priest at all — aren’t all believers priests? (The priesthood of all believers — doesn’t that make every Christian a priest, with no need for an absolving clergy-caste?)</li>
<li>18:30 – Doesn’t John 20 just mean the apostles announce forgiveness, not absolve? (Couldn’t that just mean they PROCLAIM God’s forgiveness — preach it — rather than personally absolve?)</li>
<li>24:50 – Even if it’s real absolution power God gave the Apostles, why think it passed on after the apostles died? (Where does Scripture say it passes on, instead of dying with the Twelve?)</li>
<li>38:38 – When the Bible instructs us to confess our sins isn’t that a reference to mutual accountability among believers — not kneeling before an ordained man?</li>
<li>49:31 – If perfect contrition already forgives, isn’t the sacrament unnecessary?</li>
</ul>
