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The Open Door

The Open Door

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 Please join us at The Open Door!

We discuss everything from art to politics, from foreign policy to technology - all in light of the Church's doctrine and intellectual tradition. The Open Door aims to be an intellectual and spiritual feast for Catholics and others who are looking for thoughtful discussion about our world and all of reality.





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  • Episode 310: Panel Discussion on Why People Leave the Church (December 10, 2025)

    Episode 310: Panel Discussion on Why People Leave the Church (December 10, 2025)
    Dec 12 2025
    In this episode of The Open Door, Thomas Storck, Andrew Sorokowski, and Christopher Zehnder hold a panel discussion on why people leave the Church.
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    1 h et 2 min
  • Episode 309: Dr. Virginia Arbery and George Hawley on the book Catholics and the American Polity (November 19, 2025)

    Episode 309: Dr. Virginia Arbery and George Hawley on the book Catholics and the American Polity (November 19, 2025)
    Nov 19 2025
    In this episode of The Open Door, panelists Thomas Storck, Andrew Sorokowski, and Christopher Zehnder interview Dr. Virginia Arbery & George Hawley on a book co-edited by Pieter Vree and Thomas Storck entitled Catholics and the American Polity: Approaches & Contestations.

    "Anti-Catholicism is one of the distinguishing marks of American history. Today, as the Church's institutional influence wanes, anti-Catholicism is once again surging. Yet Catholics mustn't retreat from civic engagement, for the Catechism says that 'intervening directly' in the 'political structuring and organization of social life' is our 'vocation.' How are we to accomplish this? Three theories have gained prominence: integralism, regime change, and the 'Benedict Option.' In this book, twenty-five thinkers grapple with the questions of whether Catholics have a 'place at the table' of American public life and how we might fulfill our vocation vis-à-vis the structuring and organization of the same." -PIETER VREE

    "What is America-a nation, a proposition, an experiment? And if a proposition or an experiment, how does America relate to the Church's own robust tradition of political thought? Is it something that a Catholic can or ought to make his peace with? This timely collection of essays highlights a range of opinion, from enthusiastic acceptance of a propositional Americanism to an equally strong rejection of such. Catholics who have not closely examined the philosophical or theological roots of American tradition or the implications of our own Church's thought, will find in this volume more than one helpful starting point for their own pondering on what it means to be both Catholic and American in the twenty-first century." -THOMAS STORCK

    Contributors Virginia L. Arbey - Casey Chalk - Will Hoyt - George Hawley - Kan Ito - A. James McAdamsPreston R. Simpson - Mark Barrett - Charles A. Coulombe - Christopher BeitingKarl Keating - Gracjan Kraszewski - Jude Russo - Marek Jan Chodakiewicz - Christopher ZehnderJohn M. Grondelski - James G. Hanink - Edmund Waldstein, O.Cist. - Thomas Storck - Edwin DygaRobert McTeigue, S.J. - Jason M. Morgan - Thaddeus Kozinski - John C. Médaille - Al Kresta

    https://www.amazon.com/Catholics-American-Polity-Approaches-Contestations/dp/1998492583/
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    1 h
  • Episode 308: Felix Corley on his book Catholicos and Commissar (October 29, 2025)

    Episode 308: Felix Corley on his book Catholicos and Commissar (October 29, 2025)
    Oct 30 2025
    In this episode of The Open Door, panelists Thomas Storck, Andrew Sorokowski, and Christopher Zehnder interview Felix Corley on his book Catholicos and Commissar: The Armenian Church under the Soviet Regime (October29, 2025)

    Part of a two-volume set, this volume explores the history of the Armenian Apostolic Church under Soviet rule. Initially flourishing across the Russian Empire, the Church briefly enjoyed greater religious freedom after the February 1917 revolution. However, the Bolshevik regime imposed severe restrictions after October 1917: churches were seized, clergy were taxed and jailed, religious education was banned, and international ties were severed. By 1938, Stalin's purges had devastated the Church, culminating in the murder of Catholicos Khoren and the closure of almost all churches.

    Despite this, a partial revival occurred after World War II. In 1945, Stalin permitted the election of a new Church leader, Catholicos Gevorg, who supported Soviet territorial claims and repatriation efforts. Although minimal, the Church's presence in the South Caucasus and southern Russia was gradually restored.

    The book is based on extensive archival research, memoirs, and interviews, offering a vivid account of how the Church and its followers struggled to maintain faith under an oppressive regime.

    Volume 2 continues the history of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the Soviet Union, focusing on the leadership of Catholicos Vazgen I, who served from 1955 until 1994-the longest tenure of any religious leader in the USSR. Chosen by the KGB after a lack of suitable Soviet-based candidates, Vazgen publicly supported the Soviet regime but worked quietly to strengthen the Church's presence at home and abroad. The Church's seminary at Echmiadzin grew, and diaspora ties were cautiously encouraged, though most parishes remained isolated.

    Despite the appearance of normalcy, the Church operated under heavy restrictions. Major decisions were often made by the state, and KGB agents were placed among the clergy. The harsh anti-religious campaigns of the Khrushchev era forced the closure of many churches. After Khrushchev's fall, restrictions eased somewhat, but the Church remained passive, neither resisting nor expanding.

    Major change came under Gorbachev's reforms in the late 1980s. Long-suppressed Armenian national aspirations, especially around Nagorno-Karabakh, erupted, followed by the 1988 earthquake. The Church responded with new community efforts. Though initially cautious about independence, Catholicos Vazgen eventually played a key role in legitimising the new Armenian state and reaffirming the Church's place as its official religion.

    Like Volume One, this book draws from extensive archival research, memoirs, and interviews to tell the story of how the Armenian Church and its followers navigated Soviet repression and shifting political landscapes.
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    1 h et 7 min
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