Two leading US bishops share hopes for the church, discuss struggle and talk baseball

(OSV News) -- Behind the scenes of the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, longtime friends Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, and Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois, sat down in a hotel conference room to talk.

As their conversation unfolded, they shared their hopes for the church, discussed their personal struggles and laughed about their rival baseball teams.

The conversation -- moderated by former ABC, NBC and Fox affiliates anchor and reporter Andrew Hansen, who now directs the Office for Communications for the Diocese of Springfield -- was released July 24 on the Diocese of Springfield's "Dive Deep Podcast" Youtube channel. The 35-minute video generated over 2,000 views in 24-hours.

"It's very rare to have two prominent bishops in the United States together, especially one of them that is one of the leading evangelists (and) one that is (a) leading canon lawyer," Hansen said, referring to Bishop Barron and Bishop Paprocki, respectively. "To have their perspectives in the same room I think would be refreshing for people of faith to hear. I think they're going to gain a lot of insights."

Bishop Barron and Bishop Paprocki became friends when they were both young priests in Chicago. They maintained their friendship when they were sent overseas for additional studies.

Bishop Paprocki said that the podcast reflects their deep friendship.

"It was very fascinating also how much Bishop Barron and I had in common. We would say something and the other one would agree, or maybe just take it a little deeper or in a little bit of a different direction. It just showed that we have a lot in common also in terms of our beliefs and our values," he told OSV News in a July 24 interview.

"I've always found him very easy to talk to. He's obviously very bright and very intellectual, but I think one of his gifts, in particular, is that he can take very complex, intellectual and philosophical concepts and put them into words that people can understand easily. He'll use sports analogies, for example," said Bishop Paprocki, who also enjoys sports. He has run 24 marathons and plays goalie in hockey, earning him the nickname "the Holy Goalie."

In a July 20 Facebook post, Bishop Barron called the podcast "an illuminating conversation about the primacy of Christ."

The podcast took up a unique format in which Hansen asked each bishop a series of questions about the "No.1 thing." He asked them to identify "the No.1 one thing a married couple should do to keep their faith and marriage vibrant" and "the No.1 one thing parishioners can do for their parish," among nine other questions.

Both Bishops said that the No.1 thing they have personally struggled with is the problem of evil.

"How do you reconcile great suffering … with the existence of an all good, all knowing, all perfect God? … I've wrestled with that as I've dealt with struggles and difficulties and tragedies in my own life," Bishop Barron said. He said that the Book of Job, which deals with this very question and lies "at the heart of our biblical tradition" has helped him answer it.

Bishop Paprocki framed the question of evil with the cross and the Resurrection.

"In the end, our Lord told us that we're going to suffer," he said, "and we're expected to carry our cross and sometimes by going through those sufferings and carrying the cross, we reach the great glory that our Lord has promised for us."

Both bishops also emphasized the importance of the Eucharist, adoration and Mass for spiritual growth for both families and individuals. Bishop Barron called the Holy Hour "the best thing we can do to get closer to the Lord."

"It sort of revolutionized my life," Bishop Barron said. "The Holy Hour is central to my own spiritual life now."

Bishop Paprocki said that receiving the Lord in holy Communion is the best thing we can do to draw closer to God.

"He (God) is coming right into our hearts when we receive him at holy Communion," Bishop Paprocki said.

The "Dive Deep Podcast" -- the only diocesan podcast featured on the Eternal Word Television Network's "Podcast Central" webpage -- has 94 podcast episodes available on YouTube. One of their episodes, featuring Bishop Poprocki discussing President Joe Biden's Catholicism, has over 445,000 views to date.

Viewers of the Bishop Barron and Paprocki interview left overwhelmingly positive feedback.

"This podcast is fantastic. Both Bishops Barron and Paprocki demonstrate their important role of guiding the faithful to the work of evangelization in their spheres of influence," one viewer commented.

"Glad to see two giants of the Church sitting together," another commenter said. "Deo gratias!"