Catholic thought leaders who are creating provocative content worth following

This work must be accessible, for truth shouldn't be limited to dense theology books. Whether through podcasts, TikTok videos or Substack posts, a liberatory Catholic media landscape meets people where they are, especially those hurt by the very institution claiming to represent them.

A compelling example is "Disordered: Responding to Catholic Teachings on Gender and Sexuality," a limited Spotify podcast series by a creator who goes by Theo. Drawing on both rigorous research and lived experience, Theo carefully unpacks the messaging of figures like Jason Evert, Matt Fradd and Fr. Mike Schmitz, exposing how their rhetoric fails to uphold human dignity and can harm LGBTQ+ people specifically.

Through her project The Flying Kitchen, creator Shannon Vavich blends cooking and hospitality with sharp political critique, cleverly using the domestic arts as a platform to expose the rise of far-right Catholic extremism and its ties to broader authoritarian movements. Through livestreams, short-form videos and other social media–friendly formats, Vavich reaches an audience of tens of thousands. By weaving food, music and conversation together with political witness, she offers both resistance and solidarity for Catholics seeking a more liberatory faith.

On the podcast "Queer I Am, Lord," openly gay Catholic writer and storyteller Xorje Olivares interviews fellow queer Christians, exploring their spiritual journeys, hopes for reform and the painful reality of exclusionary church policies. Raised on the Texas borderlands in Eagle Pass, where Sunday Mass and machismo often went hand in hand, Olivares brings his Mexican and Tejano heritage into dialogue with his Catholic faith, revealing how identity, culture and belief intersect in both tension and harmony. 

Kaya Oakes' Not So Sorry: Abusers, False Apologies, and the Limits of Forgiveness might be one of the most important Catholic trade books of the last few years. In the book and on her Substack, Residuum, the Berkeley professor examines the pressures and pitfalls of forgiveness in American Christian culture, asking whether it is always virtuous — or is it a mechanism that protects abusers and institutions rather than victims? 

Drawing on cases of large-scale abuse and theologies, Oakes interrogates how forgiveness is often demanded prematurely. She reframes healing through the lens of restorative justice, emphasizing repair, amends and communal care over performative apologies.

In my own work, I have used media ranging from short form video, to "deep dive" Substack essays, to a podcast. Much of this content has been co-created with queer Catholic historian Emma Cieslik, blending personal stories and lived experience with theology and history to unpack harmful teachings and promote a faith rooted in justice and inclusion. Our goal is to offer accessible, honest conversations that help reclaim Catholicism for all people.

In a church as rich and diverse as Catholicism, polarization only weakens the witness to its core social teachings of justice, solidarity and human dignity. Instead of retreating into opposing camps, there is a pressing need (modeled in the call from Pope Leo XIV) for Catholics to come together across differences and amplify the values that unite us. By focusing on compassion, truth and inclusion, we can build media and communities that heal rather than harm, that educate rather than exclude. That's the type of faith — and church — that we all deserve.