In “Plague,” journalist Michael O'Loughlin investigates the untold stories of AIDS and the Catholic Church.
You can listen to “Plague” on Apple Podcasts here, on Google Play here, or on Spotify here. The podcast, which now includes eight original episodes, won awards from the Catholic Media Association, the Religion News Association and the National LGBT Journalists Association.
Mike is America’s national correspondent and he’s covered Catholicism for more than a decade. Mike is also gay and Catholic—and he’s curious how others manage this sometimes complex identity.
Through dozens of interviews and archival research, he’s found that no time in modern history was more volatile for gay Catholics than the height of the AIDS epidemic.
Mike met with people who were right there, in the middle of the early days of the HIV and AIDS epidemic in the United States. People who fought, worked and grieved their ways through this trying time. You can listen to the trailer and first two episodes below, and subscribe to the podcast to get each new episode as it is released.
In addition to “Plague,” you can read more of Mike’s coverage on the topic in his book, “Hidden Mercy: AIDS, Catholics, and the Untold Stories of Compassion in the Face of Fear,” and original reporting at America, including:
- The Catholic Hospital That Pioneered AIDS Care
- Hidden in a New York choir loft, an early AIDS memorial faces an uncertain future
- Does providing PrEP, a drug that prevents H.I.V., clash with Christian beliefs? An overview of church teaching
- What reporting on the AIDS epidemic taught me about my fellow LGBT Catholics
- Catholic AIDS memorial finds a new home in NYC parish—but not without controversy
“PLAGUE: Untold Stories of AIDS and the Catholic Church” is made possible by the generosity of Mark A. McDermott and Yuval David, whose gift honors and supports all LGBTQ+ persons and allies past and present.
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