# How Catholics became obsessed with sex (and rules)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/jesuitical-1116545/how-catholics-became-obsessed-with-sex-and-rules
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/jesuitical-1116545/how-catholics-became-obsessed-with-sex-and-rules.md
Podcast: [Jesuitical](https://stenobird.com/podcast/jesuitical-1116545)
Published: 2026-05-21T04:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.americamagazine.org/subscribe
Audio file: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/AMMD5318476788.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/jesuitical-1116545/episodes/how-catholics-became-obsessed-with-sex-and-rules
Duration seconds: 2840

## Resource

This week on the “Jesuitical” podcast, Ashley McKinless and Zac Davis speak to theologian and legal scholar Cathleen Kaveny about why Catholics seem obsessed with questions of sexual morality. They were prompted to dig into the historical development of Catholic sexual ethics after Pope Leo said in a press conference, “We tend to think that when the church is talking about morality, that the only issue of morality is sexual. And in reality, I believe there are much greater, more important issues…” 00:00 Leo's comments on sexual morality 4:08 What Scripture says 6:05 How Catholic teaching developed 9:30 What is "natural law"? 16:37 How Catholics became obsessed with sex 20:26 JPII's "theology of the body" 24:41 Sex and justice 28:50 Sex, confession and salvation 36:35 A healthy approach to sex Links: Pope Leo speaks on same-sex blessings, migration and more on plane back to Rome Heaven and hell in post-Vatican II Catholicism: How to move from fear to love You can follow us on X and on Instagram @jesuiticalshow. You can find us on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/jesuitical. Support Jesuitical by becoming a digital subscriber to America magazine at americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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## Transcript

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