Organized by topic
Documentary Production |
See documentary page on the website of CBC's Ideas Listen to the documentary on the podcast of CBC's Ideas > Betrayal of Faith, the radio documentary I have been working on with producer Kevin Burns, premiered on CBC Radio's "Ideas" show on April 3, 2024. Using on-site sound, period music, dramatic narration, and interviews with historians and other experts, this one-hour program takes the listener inside the dramatic story of Pierre-Anthoine Pastedechouan, an Indigenous boy taken from early colonial Canada to Angers, France in the 1620s to receive baptism and a religious education at the hands of Recollet missionaries. Pastedechouan bucked the odds by surviving his five-year stint overseas, only to face a tenuous, then tragic existence when he returned home so greatly changed. |
In April 2023 Kevin and I flew to Angers, France, to tape at the Cathedrale Saint-Maurice and at La Baumette, the Recollet convent where Pastedechouan spent five years of his youth, receiving baptism and learning Latin, French, and theology, and serving as a fundraiser and language tutor in his maternal Innu language. |
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Kevin setting up the recording equipment in the La Baumette chapel (not the dramatic undressed cliff face) | Kevin and Emma outside Cathedrale Saint-Maurice | Interior of the Cathedrale Saint-Maurice |
In my view, many of the ingredients that go into making a great book or article (for example, an eye for tiny but telling details, a strong narrative trajectory, and an ability to evoke the past – or present - in all of its complex and sensuous reality), are also critical in a documentary. I enjoy collaborating with creative people on projects of mutual interest. Please contact me if this interests you! |
Public Lectures
Sinews of the Soul: Comparing Christian Baptism and Indigenous Adoption | ||
Pathy Lecture | ||
Princeton University | ||
December 6, 2023 | ||
Link to interview. | ||
Dawn in the West: How the Thought of Indigenous People Ushered in Modernity | ||
Langan Lecture | ||
St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto | ||
October 19, 2022 | ||
Link to interview | ||
The Unrecognized Impact of Native American Thought upon Europe | ||
The Religion in the Americas Lecture | ||
University of Chicago Divinity School | ||
2020 | ||
Link to interview. | ||
Vatican News
What’s Next for the Catholic Church? | ||
Interview by Steve Paikin and Michael Higgins, Basilian Distinguished Fellow of Contemporary Catholic Thought at the University of Toronto | ||
The Agenda with Steve Paikin, TVO | ||
March 4, 2025 (31 minutes, video) | ||
Link to interview. | ||
The Explainer: What Happens when a Pope Passes Away? | ||
Interview by Vassy Kapelos | ||
The Vassy Kapelos Show, 580 CFRA Radio, Ottawa | ||
February 26, 2025 (8:25 minutes, audio) | ||
Vatican: Pope Francis Showing Slight Improvement | ||
Interview by Josh Breslow | ||
LiveNOW, Fox News | ||
February 25, 2025 (9:28 minutes, video) | ||
What will happen should Pope Francis become Incapacitated or Die? | ||
Interview by Angela Kokott | ||
The Shaye Ganam Show, 880 CHED Radio, Edmonton | ||
February 24, 2025 (12.47 minutes, audio) |
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Link to interview. | ||
World Looks on as Pope’s Health Declines | ||
Interview by Sabrina Marandola | ||
Let’s Go, CBC Montreal | ||
February 21, 2025, (9 minutes, audio) | ||
Link to interview. | ||
Pope Francis is Now in Critical Condition, Vatican Says | ||
Interview by Ben O’Hara-Byrne | ||
Conversations with Ben O’Hara-Byrne, Global News | ||
February 24, 2025, (19:25 minutes, audio) | ||
Link to interview. | ||
Carlo Acutis: The Church’s First “Millennial” Saint? | ||
Interview by Ben O’Hara-Byrne | ||
A Little More Conversation, Corus/Global News Radio | ||
June 1, 2024 | ||
Link to interview. | ||
Vatican allows the blessing of same-sex couples. But with a few caveats. | ||
Interview by Robyn Bresnahan | ||
Ottawa Morning, CBC | ||
Dec.19, 2023 | ||
Link to interview. | ||
Pope Francis Releases Update to Papal Letter on the Environment | ||
Interview by Alan Neal | ||
All in a Day with Alan Neal, CBC | ||
Oct. 4, 2023 | ||
Link to interview. | ||
The Doctrine of Discovery and Its Grip on Indigenous Lands | ||
Interview by Mark Blackburn | ||
APTN News | ||
December 15, 2022 | ||
Link to interview. | ||
Pope emeritus Benedict XVI dies at age 95 | ||
Interview by Robyn Bresnahan | ||
Ottawa Morning | ||
CBC | ||
January 2, 2023 | ||
Link to interview. | ||
Why is Pope Francis Canonizing a Missionary Accused of Cultural Genocide? | ||
Interview by Merella Fernandez | ||
CTV News Channel | ||
September 23, 2015 | ||
Pope Francis Considers Appointing Married Priests in the Brazilian Amazon | ||
Interview by Anthony Furey | ||
Canada Talks | ||
National Post Radio | ||
Sirius Satellite XL | ||
November 8, 2017 | ||
Pope Francis and Donald Trump: Rumble in the Vatican | ||
Interview by Anthony Furey | ||
Canada Talks | ||
National Post Radio | ||
Sirius Satellite XL | ||
May 25, 2017 | ||
Schism in the Canadian Catholic Church? Divided Attitudes towards End of Life Care and Physician Assisted Suicide | ||
Interview by Matt Gurney | ||
Canada Talks | ||
National Post Radio | ||
Sirius Satellite XL | ||
October, 11 2017 | ||
Pope Francis and his 'Joy of Love' Exhortation on the Family | ||
Interview by Matt Gurney | ||
Canada Talks | ||
National Post Radio | ||
Sirius Satellite XL | ||
April 12, 2016 | ||
The Canonization of Mother Teresa | ||
Interview by Matt Gurney | ||
Canada Talks | ||
National Post Radio | ||
Sirius Satellite XL | ||
March 17, 2016 | ||
The Firing of Vatican insider Krzysztof Charamsa, Gay Vatican Insider | ||
Interview by Matt Gurney | ||
Canada Talks | ||
National Post Radio | ||
Sirius Satellite XL | ||
October 15, 2015 | ||
Papal Visits
Interviews in English
The Pope’s Historic Visit to Canada : A Retrospective | ||
Interview by Matt Guerney | ||
Canada Live with Matt Guerney, National Post Radio | ||
August 4, 2022 | ||
Link to interview. | ||
Pope’s Apology in Can Thomson Reuters ada Falls Short for some Indigenous Survivors | ||
Interview by Anna Mehler Paperny | ||
Thomson Reuters | ||
July 27, 2022 | ||
Link to interview. | ||
More Security, Less Formality: What to Expect When the Pope Visits Iqaluit | ||
Interview by Emma Tranter | ||
Nunatsiaq News | ||
July 26, 2022 | ||
Link to interview. | ||
Prayers and Tears: Scenes from the Pope’s Apology for Residential Schools | ||
Interview by Rob Snow | ||
The Rob Snow Show, CityNews Ottawa | ||
July 26, 2022 | ||
Link to interview. | ||
What Francis – A Pope of Surprises – Brings to Canada’s Historic Moment of Reconciliation | ||
Interview by Alex Boyd and Allan Wood | ||
Toronto Star | ||
July 24, 2022 | ||
Link to interview. | ||
Will Pope Francis Embolden Canada’s Social Justice Catholics? | ||
Interview by Christopher Guly | ||
The Tyee | ||
July 22, 2022 | ||
Link to interview. | ||
Will We Be Seeing Grey Smoke from the Vatican Soon? | ||
Interview by Alex Pierson | ||
OnPoint with Arlene Bynon, Global News Radio | ||
June 20, 2022 | ||
Link to interview. | ||
The Canadian Church’s Leadership is Changing. What Could it Mean for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples? | ||
Interview by Miriane Demers-Lemay | ||
America: The Jesuit Review | ||
March 28, 2022 | ||
Link to interview. | ||
Pope Francis Won’t Apologize for Residential Schools | ||
Interview by Scott Thompson | ||
Hamilton Today with Scott Thompson | ||
March 28, 2018 | ||
Link to interview. | ||
Pope Francis’s Historic Visit to Cuba and the United States | ||
Interview by Scott Laurie | ||
CTV News Channel | ||
September 20, 2015 | ||
Interviews in French
Le Pape François est arrivé au Canada pour un pèlerinage pénitentiel | ||
Entrevue Camille Feireisen | ||
Radiotélévision Suisse | ||
le 24 juillet 2022 | ||
Pape au Canada : entre émotion et déception pour les communautés autochtones | ||
Interview by Camille Feireisen | ||
Ouest France | ||
July 29, 2022 | ||
Link to interview. | ||
Le Pape François est arrivé au Canada pour un pèlerinage pénitentiel | ||
Interview by Camille Feireisen | ||
Radiotélévision Suisse | ||
July 24, 2022 | ||
Link to interview. | ||
Le Pape au Canada pour demander pardon aux peoples autochtones | ||
Interview by Véronique Gaymard | ||
Religions du Monde, Radio France Internationale | ||
22 juillet, 2022 | ||
Link to interview. | ||
Grand-messe mediatique pour le Pape Francois | ||
Interview by Annabelle Caillou | ||
Le Devoir | ||
July 30, 2022 | ||
Link to interview. | ||
La visite au Canada du chef spiritual de l’église anglicane, un pas de plus vers la reconciliation | ||
Interview by Miriane Demers-Lemay | ||
Présence | ||
April 11, 2022 | ||
Link to interview. | ||
Le Voyage du Pape François aux États-Unis | ||
Entrevue par Line Boily | ||
L’heure de pointe Toronto | ||
Radio Canada Toronto | ||
le 21 septembre 2015 | ||
Exploring the Tragic History of Residential Schools in Canada
Fire Destroys Two Catholic Churches on Canadian Indigenous Land (About the B.C. Church Fires) | |
New York Times | |
Daniel Bilefsky | |
June 22, 2021 | |
Link to interview. | |
Will the Pope Ever Apologize for Residential Schools? | |
The Rob Snow Show | |
CityNews | |
Ottawa Radio | |
June 7, 2021 | |
Link to interview | |
'We Need Forensic Anthropologists': Ottawa Prof Believes Kamloops Mass Grave could be First of Many | |
Guest hosted by Sam Laprade | |
The Rob Snow Show | |
CityNews | |
Ottawa Radio | |
May 31, 2021 | |
Link to interview |
Interviews in French
Excuses aux Autochtones Canadiens: c’est un moment historique | |
Le Droit | |
Claudia Blais-Thompson | |
April 3, 2022 | |
Link to interview. | |
Le Pape François presente ses excuses aux autochtones canadiens | |
Le Devoir | |
Magdaline Boutros | |
April 2, 2022 | |
Link to interview. | |
Des Curés Québécois à Marieval (On the role of Quebec-trained clergy in Residential Schools in Western Canada) | |
Le Journal de Quebec | |
Anne-Caroline Desplanques | |
July 2, 2021 | |
Link to interview. | |
Oblats, Pensionnats, et l’Université d’Ottawa (On the Oblate heritage of the University of Ottawa in the light of the ongoing fallout from the Kamloops discovery) | |
La Rotonde, University of Ottawa | |
Emmanuelle Gingras | |
June 25, 2021 | |
Link to interview. | |
Pensionnats autochtones: « Ça va prendre de l’ampleur» (On the discovery of the graves of 215 Indigenous children on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School) | |
La Presse | |
Mélanie Marquis | |
June 1, 2021 | |
Link to interview. | |
Après le Rwanda, enquete sur les pensionnats?(On the next steps in the search for justice for the 215 Indigenous children whose remains were found at Kamloops) | |
Le Journal de Montréal | |
Anne-Caroline Desplanques | |
June 4, 2021 | |
Link to interview. | |
Les Pensionnats de l’horreur | |
Le Journal de Montréal | |
Anne-Caroline Desplanques | |
June 13, 2021 | |
Link to interview. | |
Le premier enfant enlevé était un Innu de Quebec(On Pierre-Anthoine Pastedechouan, one of the first residential school students in the early seventeenth century) | |
Le Journal de Montréal | |
Anne-Caroline Desplanques | |
June 12, 2021 | |
Link to interview. |
Indigenous Peoples and the Church
Une collaboration qui tourne rapidement au vinaigre | ||
Entrevue dans Le Franco | ||
Numéro du 13 mars au 9 avril 2025 | ||
Volume 95 • No 3 • pp.2-3 | ||
Link to journal. | ||
Clerical Sexual Abuse
Anonymous woman accusing Quebec Cardinal of sexual misconduct reveals her name and shares her story | |
Interview by Andrew Pinsent | |
News Talk | |
580 CFRA | |
January 15, 2023 | |
Link to interview. | |
What are the long-term Ramifications of the Current Pedophilia Scandal in the Roman Catholic Church? | |
Interview by Emily Jackson | |
Canada Talks | |
National Post Radio | |
August 24, 2018 | |
Pope Francis’s Reversal of his Stance on Chilean Bishop Juan Barros | |
Interview by Anthony Furey | |
Canada Talks | |
National Post Radio | |
Sirius Satellite XL | |
April 2018 | |
"Me Too" at the Vatican?: The Exploitation of Nuns by the Catholic Church | |
Interview by Anthony Furey | |
Canada Talks | |
National Post Radio | |
Sirius Satellite XL | |
March 6, 2018 | |
The Historic Fire at Notre Dame de Paris and its Aftermath
Interviews in English
What Religious Treasures inside Notre Dame May have been Lost Forever? | |
Interview by Geoff Currier | |
680 CJOB Radio | |
Winnipeg, Manitoba | |
2019 | |
Rage, Rejection, and Reverence: The Passion of Notre Dame de Paris | |
The Ottawa Citizen Newspaper | |
April 17 (online) | |
April 18, 2019 (in print) | |
Read article |
Interview in French
L'incendie à Notre-Dame de Paris | |
Entrevue par Pascal Gervais | |
Radio Canada | |
Montreal, Quebec | |
2019 | |