Podcast Summary: Bannon’s War Room Battleground EP 842

Date: September 3, 2025
Host: Stephen K. Bannon (with Ben Hanwell filling in), WarRoom.org
Guests: Jenny Holland, Liz Yor, Frank Walker

Episode Overview

This episode delves deep into growing cultural and religious tensions within the Catholic Church and Christianity at large—focused on scandals, the apparent generational shift toward traditionalism, the Vatican’s ongoing embrace of LGBT advocacy, the controversial canonization of Carlo Acutis, and a disturbing update on clerical misconduct. The episode maintains its trademark urgent and combative tone, emphasizing the call for laity to "take back" their church from an institution depicted as deeply compromised.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Gen Z Embracing Traditional Christianity

(03:21-06:04) Jenny Holland | Good News on Young Catholic Converts

• Trend: Contrary to mainstream narratives, Gen Z is increasingly turning not just to Christianity, but specifically to its most traditional forms: Traditional Catholicism, Reformed Protestantism, and Orthodoxy.
• Numbers: Catholic converts in the US rose from 50,000 (2021) to 160,000 (2025). 14% of US Catholics are aged 18–29.
• Why?
  • Technology enables young people to easily discover pre-modern religious traditions.
  • High rates of mental distress in Gen Z (anxiety, depression) fuel their longing for stability, which traditional religion offers.
  • “Young people need a solid rock upon which to build their lives. And secular society... has spectacularly failed to do that.” — Jenny Holland (05:50)

Notable Quote:

"Well done, Zoomers, for turning your back on the nonsense and turning towards some eternal truth."
— Jenny Holland (04:15)

2. Church Authority vs. Young Traditionalists

(06:04–13:00) Ben & Jenny | Church Leadership Alienating the Faithful

• Clash Brewing: Tension between boomer/modernist leadership and tradition-seeking Gen Z.
  • "All the reports indicate... the people in power... are desperately clinging on to the sort of modernist religion that nobody really wants anymore." — Jenny Holland (06:18)
• Example: In Valence, France, a priest posted a note forbidding unsanctioned prayer, directly confronting parishioners' desire for Latin Mass. Bishops reduced the number of Latin Masses available in Paris.
• Broader Pattern: Church authorities block tradition-loving young people while promoting modern innovation.

Notable Quote:

“The people who are currently in charge of all the major Christian denominations don’t believe in Jesus Christ. They don’t believe in God. And the presence of believers, especially amongst the youth, shows them up in their unbelief.”
— Ben Hanwell (07:36)

Memorable Moment:

“So again, make that make sense, Ben.”
— Jenny Holland, on clergy hostility toward Latin Mass youth groups (10:40)

3. The Vatican & the LGBT Movement

(18:29–26:49) Liz Yor, Ben, Frank Walker | Father James Martin Meets Pope Leo

• Event: Father James Martin, high-profile LGBT Catholic advocate, meets with newly elected Pope Leo XIV (seen as a “Francis 2.0”).
• Reaction: The meeting occurs just days after a transgender individual murdered children at a Catholic Mass, which Liz Yor calls “the most insulting timing in the world.”
• Interpretation: Guests see this as a provocative public alignment by the Vatican with the LGBT agenda.
• Strategy or Naivete? Frank Walker doubts the Pope is naïve—he “knows exactly what he’s doing.”
• Resistance: Yor cites Martin’s admission that Pope Francis “would have been much more radical… had it not been for the resistance coming from America and Africa,” pointing to effective pushback by the laity.

Notable Quotes:

“He [Pope Leo] strikes me as part of the lavender mafia, very connected to them…”
— Frank Walker (24:40)

“Resistance to this corrupt hierarchy is obedience to God.”
— Ben Hanwell (26:49)

4. The Carlo Acutis Canonization Controversy

(31:40–44:00) Frank Walker, Jenny Holland | Manufactured Saints?

• Background: Vatican hypes Carlo Acutis, a young “computer nerd” canonized as a modern saint. Guests question the authenticity of the canonization.
• Concerns:
  • Family admits to substantial financial involvement in the process; mother unusually uses Acutis surname, seemingly for branding.
  • Miracles attributed to Acutis are described as “less than convincing.”
  • The process is framed as marketing to youth, not genuine sanctification.
  • Parallels drawn between church’s “soft” new saints and its attempts to appease secular society.

Notable Quotes:

“Not only is he a great saint, but he’s also a great marketing thing for young people. That’s not why you make saints.”
— Frank Walker (38:55)

“Why bother joining the church if it’s just going to continually capitulate to the secular lifestyle?”
— Jenny Holland (42:20)

5. Clergy Sexual Scandal: "Satanatrix" Porn Film

(44:10–47:30) Ben Hanwell | Update on Church Desecration

• Update: In Louisiana, a Catholic priest was caught filming a pornographic scene on the altar with dominatrices (one named “Satanatrix”), including desecration of the chalice.
• Judicial Ruling: Devices and lighting used to film the acts are now implicated in the ongoing investigation.
• Point: The segment underscores the hosts’ thesis that blind trust in clergy and church authority is misplaced.

Notable Quote:

“It is not a sign of a special devotion to the Catholic Church to repose your trust in people who hate your faith.”
— Ben Hanwell (44:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Exchanges

• “Ask yourself, what is my task and what is my purpose? If that answer is to save my country, this country will be saved.”
  — Stephen K. Bannon (00:31)
• “These kids are coming to church... for the first time in their entire lives... They will have worked at the courage over many months, they will step over the threshold, and this is what they get from the bishop, right? It’s disgusting.”
  — Ben Hanwell (12:52)
• “We, the laity, need to take our churches back in the name of the laity for the preservation of the faith.”
  — Ben Hanwell (08:10)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:56: Show setup and today's topics
• 03:21: Gen Z’s swing to traditional Christianity
• 06:04: Church leadership vs. tradition-seeking youth
• 09:14: The Valence, France “no prayer without permission” story
• 18:29: Father James Martin meets Pope Leo
• 24:38: Analysis of the Vatican’s intent in the LGBT dialogue
• 31:40: Canonization controversies: Carlo Acutis
• 44:10: Louisiana altar sex/porn desecration update

Conclusion

Throughout the episode, the hosts and panel hammer home a narrative of church betrayal, generational struggle, and a call for lay resistance. They argue that the hierarchy’s attempts to secularize and modernize Christianity are not only alienating faithful youth, but also enabling scandal, sacrilege, and doctrinal confusion. The laity, they insist, must reclaim the church’s heritage for the sake of its future.

Final Thought: The episode vibrates with a sense of siege and urgency, energizing listeners to see themselves as the last bulwark defending tradition against both internal corruption and external secularism.