The America Media Podcast

Ambassador Miguel Diaz talks about Pope Francis's upcoming visit to Cuba in light of his own Cuban-American upbringing and his time as U.S. ambassador to the Holy See.

Andrea Mercado is co-chair of “We Belong Together: Women for Common Sense Immigration Reform.” Their initiative, “100 Women 100 Miles” involves 100 women walking 100 miles, from a detention center in York County, PA to Washington, D.C.,  to shed light on immigration issues when Pope Francis meets with President Barack Obama. 

A Catholic Relief Services official describes the refugee crisis at the Serbian border.

Joseph P. Parkes, S.J., talks about the national network of Cristo Rey schools, which provide college preparatory education to young people who live in urban communities with limited educational options.

Mayor Mitch Landrieu of New Orleans looks back at the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina and the city's revival in the 10 years since. Read Father Matt Malone's reporting from the Katrina cleanup here.  

Kevin Ahern talks about his new book Structures of Grace: Catholic Organizations serving the Global Common Good, which profiles Catholic groups like Jesuit Refugee Service and the Plowshares movement that embody Christian solidarity by addressing the urgent human issues of our day.

Jennifer Fulwiler speaks about atheism, conversion and raising a Catholic family. She is the author, most recently, of the e-book, Like Living Among Scorpions: One Woman's Quest to Survive Her Suburban Life.

Former Senator George Mitchell talks about his Catholic upbringing in Maine, his work with Bob Dole in the Senate and his participation in the peace process of Northern Ireland. He is the author of "The Negotiator: A Memoir."

Dan-el Padilla Peralta discusses growing up as an undocumented immigrant in New York and how studying the classics helped him better understand his experience. He is the author of "Undocumented: A Dominican Boy's Odyssey From a Homeless Shelter to the Ivy League."

Joseph Loconte, an Associate Professor of History at the King’s College in New York City, talks about his new book “A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War,” which chronicles the influence of World War I on the lives of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.

Phil Klay talks about "Redeployment," his book of short stories that draws from his own experience as a Marine in the Anbar province of Iraq. "Redeployment" was awarded the 2014 National Book Award for fiction.

Paul B. Moses talks about his new book An Unlikely Union: The Love-Hate Story of New York's Irish and Italians and what we can learn from this historical rivalry. 

Andrew Bacevich, retired professor of international affairs and history at Boston University, talks about ISIS, the Middle East, and the United States military. He is the author of several books, including, Breach of Trust: How Americans Failed Their Soldiers and Their Country (2013).

Roy Peterson, the president of the American Bible Society, talks about “The Living Word” project and the group’s move to Philadelphia.

Mitzi Schroeder, the director for policy for Jesuit Refugee Service/USA, talks about the refugee crisis in advance of World Refugee Day on June 20.