MN Native, Comedic Catholic Author Is A 'Saint' In New Book
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- St. Paul native and popular author Lino Rulli – who's also a former WCCO-TV reporter – has a new book out.
It's called "Saint" and it's another serving of Rulli's humorous and irreverent take on religion and the Catholic Church.
Rulli's ability to make people laugh while talking about God has taken him far. He went from having a cable show in the Twin Cities, to reporting at WCCO, to his current job for the past seven years hosting a national daily Sirius radio show.
At his parents' home in Mendota Heights, Rulli and his radio sidekick Father Rob Keighron, recently broadcasted the show.
It's a rare trip home for Rulli whose show "The Catholic Guy" is based in New York and offers up a daily dish of religious discussion with a twist.
"I like expressing things about religion," he said. "Sometimes I doubt Gods existence. Is that OK? Can I still stay? Does anyone else doubt God, too?"
His latest book "Saint," like his radio show, is a dialogue on faith, Catholicism and growing up in Minnesota.
"When I was a kid, I always dreamed of growing up good looking and that didn't end up working out," he said.
Rulli is now a sought-after expert on Catholicism who has appeared on shows such as Piers Morgan.
He has had an audience with the late Pope John Paul, and he broadcast from the Vatican during the election of Popes Benedict and Francis.
Rulli believes Pope Francis signals a new era for Catholics.
"He is changing a lot of the ways we think and talk in the church," he said.
But it his own struggles with faith and God that are the main draw for listeners and readers.
"Catholicism brings me joy, it brings me happiness, it brings me a bit of peace," he said. "I am a rather neurotic insecure person. But I would be a much bigger mess if it weren't for faith."
This weekend, Rulli will receive the distinguished alumni award from his alma mater St. John's University in Collegeville, Minn.
