On this week’s episode of “Jesuitical,” Zac Davis and Sebastian Gomes speak with America’s President and Editor in Chief, Sam Sawyer, S.J. to discuss the impact that U.S. bishops are having on politics, AI, and more. Bishops are speaking out against war, mass deportations, the death penalty and racism, and their voices are breaking through. In this episode, Zac, Sebastian and Sam talk about why they’re having a moment, the influence of Pope Leo, and the opportunities for shaping the future of A.I.

Chapters:
00:00 Growing influence of Bishops on US politics
04:35 Opposing mass deportation
10:30 Engaging with the Trump Administration
14:05 Bishops are finding new ways to talk about issues
18:00 The influence of Pope Leo
22:43 Where Bishops stand on A.I.
29:54 How U.S. Bishops can implement Magnifica humanitas
32:55 Opportunities around A.I.

Links:
The U.S. bishops are speaking out forcefully on politics—and finally being heard: https://www.americamagazine.org/features/2026/09/08/us-bishops-trump-immigration-iran
Top US bishop writes letter to Trump urging end to mass deportations of Haitians: https://www.americamagazine.org/news/2026/09/10/top-us-bishop-writes-letter-to-trump-urging-end-to-mass-deportations-of-haitians
Why are there so few African American bishops? ‘The short answer is racism’ says Bishop Boxie: https://www.americamagazine.org/news/2026/09/10/black-catholics-bishop-boxie-catholic-church
Bishop Olson on racism: https://x.com/BpOlsonFW/status/2099230750247632935
US bishops form new task force over AI concerns, meet with tech leaders: https://www.americamagazine.org/news/2026/09/16/us-bishops-form-ai-task-force
Pope Francis to U.S. Catholic bishops: Oppose mass deportations:
Analysis: The U.S. bishops showed their unity on behalf of immigrants—and may have repaired their relationship to Rome: https://www.americamagazine.org/news-analysis/2025/11/13/analysis-the-u-s-bishops-showed-their-unity-on-behalf-of-immigrants-and-may-have-repaired-their-relationship-to-rome
Artificial Intelligence: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: https://www.usccb.org/artificial-intelligence

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