Episode 132: On Self-Immolation: Suicide, Sacrifice, and The Church Artwork

CAM podcast

Catholics Against Militarism (CAM) is an informal, grassroots, Internet-based movement of lay Catholics that seeks to identify and respectfully challenge militaristic attitudes in the U.S. Catholic Church. We conduct interviews with Catholics and other Catholic groups who are: 1) successfully registering dissent at the parish level, 2) raising awareness of the dangers of militarism through dialogue with fellow believers, and 3) spurring deeper, more honest reflection on the role of violence in our world.

All Episodes

CAM podcast

Episode 132: On Self-Immolation: Suicide, Sacrifice, and The Church

November 11, 2025 • Ellen • Season 1 • Episode 132

0:00 | 10:20

Fr. McCarthy reflects on the life and death of Roger LaPorte, who set himself on fire on November 9, 1965, to protest the Vietnam War, and offers some thoughts on the response of Catholic bishops, priests, and laity to this act, and the choice of Thích Quảng Đức, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk who set himself on fire in Saigon to protest the persecution of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese government in 1963. More recently, Aaron Bushnell immolated himself outside the Israeli embassy in Washington shouting "Free Palestine" on February 25, 2024.

Find CAM here:
https://catholicsagainstmilitarism.com
RSS feed: http://www.buzzsprout.com/296171
Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/CAMpodcast

Find Fr. McCarthy here:
/ @emmanuelcharlesmccarthy3292
https://www.emmanuelcharlesmccarthy.org.

Support the show

Find CAM here:
https://catholicsagainstmilitarism.com
RSS feed: http://www.buzzsprout.com/296171
Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/CAMpodcast