Fr. Charles Coughlin: America’s first mass-media demagogue priest

A charismatic demagogue with millions of devoted followers. A novel
means of communication with little government regulation and few
guardrails. The threat of violence in the streets and a country in
crisis. No, we’re not talking about the 45th president but
America’s first radio priest, Father Charles Coughlin. On
“Radioactive,” a new podcast series from Tablet Studios, Andrew
Lapin takes listeners through the history of Father Coughlin, who
through a mixture of Catholic piety, anti-Semitism and raw
political ambition became the most popular voice on the U.S.
airwaves during the Great Depression and the lead up to World War
II. We ask Andrew what Father Coughlin’s story can tell us about
the connection between religious demagoguery and authoritarianism;
the Wild West of new media platforms; and the failure of the church
to reign in Catholics who exploit these toxic forces. In Signs of
the Times, Zac and Ashley share some Pope Francis-inspired New
Year’s resolutions and give their predictions for Catholic stories
coming in 2022. Links from the show: Volunteer, stop judging and
get off Twitter: 8 New Year’s Resolutions Inspired by Pope Francis
Pope Francis’ action-packed agenda for 2022 Potentially explosive
report will document handling of sex abuse in Pope Benedict’s
former diocese Who will be the first Black Catholic saint from the
United States? Join our Patreon community Come to Italy with
Jesuitical! What’s on tap? Bringing in the New Year with some
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