In this episode of Catholic Unscripted, Katherine Bennett and Mark Lambert are joined by Fr Robert McTeigue for a serious and wide-ranging conversation about authority, obedience, and the growing confusion within the Catholic Church.

Please follow Fr Robert here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSFoQFby8ao

As debates intensify over governance, synodality, conscience, and the role of the laity, Fr McTeigue offers a deeply theological perspective on what the Church is — and what she is not. The Church is not a democracy. She is not governed by opinion polls or cultural trends. She is founded by Christ and entrusted with divine authority.

The conversation explores how misunderstandings of authority have contributed to fragmentation, how obedience must be properly understood, and why unity cannot be preserved by diluting doctrine.

This is a sober discussion about fidelity in turbulent times — and about the difference between reform and rupture.

Topics Discussed

What authority in the Church actually means

The difference between governance and divine constitution

Why the Church is not a democracy

Synodality and its theological limits

Obedience: what it is and what it is not

The danger of confusing pastoral accommodation with doctrinal change

How fragmentation begins

The spiritual cost of relativising truth

Remaining faithful without becoming reactionary

Key Themes

Authority as divinely instituted, not socially negotiated

Obedience rooted in truth

Unity without doctrinal compromise

The Church as received, not reinvented

Fidelity in times of ecclesial instability

About the Guest

Fr Robert McTeigue, SJ is a Jesuit priest, author, and host of The Catholic Current. He is known for his clarity in addressing theological and cultural issues, particularly questions of authority, doctrine, and fidelity within the Church.

Subscribe & Support

If you value serious Catholic conversation rooted in tradition and clarity:

👉 Subscribe to Catholic Unscripted
👍 Like this episode
🔁 Share with someone seeking clarity about authority in the Church

Your support helps sustain thoughtful, faithful discussion.