However, it stopped short of an unequivocal “no” to women deacons, saying that while the commission’s “assessment is strong… it does not allow for a definitive judgment to be formulated at this time, as in the case of priestly ordination.”

Stay tuned to Inside the Vatican for a more in-depth look at this story, and read Gerard O’Connell’s report here: Vatican report says no to ordaining women deacons—for now

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In this short episode of “Inside the Vatican”—abbreviated because of a forthcoming deep dive episode—Colleen and Gerry discuss Archbishop Iannone’s background and what he may bring to this influential Vatican role.

Links from the show:

Pope Leo makes a surprise pick for his first major Vatican appointment

Deep Dive: Inside the top secret process of appointing a Catholic bishop

King Charles III to make delayed state visit to Vatican 6 months after death of Pope Francis

NYC choir performs at the Vatican for Pope Leo—in his own words

Credits:

Producer: Ricardo da Silva, SJ

Audio engineering and video editing: Kevin Christopher Robles

Executive producer: Sebastian Gomes

Inside the Vatican is a production of America Media.

Support Inside the Vatican by subscribing to America Magazine!

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In the second half of the show, Colleen and Gerry discuss the “official-unofficial” nature of the LGBT Jubilee, which brought LGBT Catholics from around the world to Rome for a pilgrimage through the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica.

Links from the show

Pope Leo XIV declares Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati saints in a celebration of youthful devotion

On the ground for the canonization of Saints Acutis and Frassati: Crowds, communion and Cheez-Its

Deep Dive: How are saints made in the Catholic Church? Inside the long, complicated and expensive process

LGBTQ Catholics process through Holy Door at St. Peter’s

Credits

Production and engineering: Kevin Christopher Robles

Executive producer: Sebastian Gomes

Inside the Vatican is a production of America Media.

Support Inside the Vatican by subscribing to America Magazine!

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This week, America’s Senior Vatican Correspondent Gerard O’Connell and Vatican Correspondent Colleen Dulle unpack two significant meetings Pope Leo XIV held this week: One with their colleague the Rev. James Martin, S.J., and the other with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Gerry and Colleen reveal the significance of seemingly small details like the inclusion of Father Martin’s meeting on the Vatican’s daily bulletin and the disagreement between the Holy See and Israel over whether or not the pope invited the president.

In the second half of the show, Colleen and Gerry trade places, as Gerry interviews Colleen about her recently-released book, Struck Down, Not Destroyed: Keeping the Faith as a Vatican Reporter (Image, 2025). The two reflect on their very different experiences of the Catholic church and Colleen reflects on what has kept her in the church while covering distressing stories.

Links from the show:

Pope Leo and Israel’s president discuss ‘tragic situation in Gaza’ in private audience

Israeli president Herzog to visit Pope Leo at Vatican

Pope Leo meets with Father James Martin, seen as a sign of support for ministry with L.G.B.T.Q. Catholics

Father James Martin: Pope Leo’s message for LGBTQ Catholics

Excerpt: A Vatican reporter on keeping the faith amid the Catholic Church’s scandals

Struck Down, Not Destroyed: Keeping the Faith as a Vatican Reporter by Colleen Dulle

Credits:

Production and engineering: Kevin Christopher Robles

Executive producer: Sebastian Gomes

Inside the Vatican is a production of America Media.

Support our podcast—become a digital subscriber to America Media.

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Pope Leo’s ministry in Peru was marked by his dedication to empowering lay leaders and nurturing vibrant communities amid challenging circumstances. After returning to the United States, he served briefly as provincial of the Augustinians in the Midwest before being elected prior general, leading the order worldwide from Rome for over a decade. During this time, his bridge-building leadership caught the attention of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, who would later become Pope Francis.

In 2014, Pope Francis appointed Prevost as bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, where he served for eight years. Before ultimately calling him back to Rome in 2023 to lead the Dicastery for Bishops, Francis made him a cardinal and then elevated him to cardinal-bishop—the highest rank in the College of Cardinals—paving the way for his election as Pope Leo XIV.

Many pin their hopes on him to renew a polarized church. Studying Robert Francis Prevost—as a priest and canon lawyer, Augustinian prior general, bishop, cardinal, and Vatican prefect—reveals who he has become, what his priorities might be, and how he may choose to lead the Catholic Church’s 1.4 billion faithful today.

In this episode, you’ll hear from:

• Arthur Purcaro, O.S.A. – Augustinian priest who worked with Pope Leo XIV in Peru and later served on his order’s leadership council when Prevost was Prior General.

• Christopher White – Author of Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy (Loyola Press, 2025) and former Vatican correspondent for National Catholic Reporter.

• Emilce Cuda – Argentine theologian and Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

• Julia Oseka – Student at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and one of the youngest voting members of the Synod on Synodality.

• Socorro Cassaro Novoa – Lay leader from Monserrate community in Trujillo, Peru, where Pope Leo XIV helped establish the parish and served as first administrator.

• Nila Ruiz Gonzales – Lay leader from Santa María community in Trujillo, Peru, where Pope Leo XIV directed the Augustinian formation house and served as pastor.

Read: "⁠Who is Pope Leo? 5 surprising things I learned while reporting on Robert Prevost,⁠" by Colleen Dulle: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2025/07/10/who-pope-leo-robert-prevost-251107

Help shape the future of the show—take our end-of-season listener survey.

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In this second episode of our “Inside the Vatican” Deep Dive series on Pope Leo XIV, we follow the future pope to northern Peru. He first served in Chulucanas as a canon lawyer, helping establish the new diocese after its elevation from an apostolic prelature. Following a brief return to Rome to defend his doctoral thesis, he came back to Peru as a formator for diocesan and Augustinian seminarians and as a pastor in Trujillo. There, he and his fellow Augustinians ministered amid escalating violence and an approaching dictatorship—an experience that shaped the man who now leads the global Catholic Church.

Peru in the late 1980s and early 90s was torn by conflict but also strangely alive with hope. The Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) and MRTA (Movimiento Revolucionario Túpac Amaru), two violent rebel groups, terrorized communities while economic collapse paved the way for Alberto Fujimori’s authoritarian rule. Amid it all, Father Prevost and the Augustinians in Northern Peru pioneered a new model of parish life.

They opened a formation house for young men discerning religious life with the order and helped staff parishes, establishing new chapels and parish communities. They divided sprawling parishes into small zones led by lay teams responsible for prayer, outreach and community life. Two women who worked with him describe how this model empowered the local community. His ministry in Peru didn’t just shape parish structures; it shaped him—teaching him to lead with humility, courage and deep concern for the marginalized.

In this episode, you’ll hear from:

- John Lydon, O.S.A. – Augustinian priest and friend of Pope Leo, with whom he served in parish and formation ministry in Trujillo, Peru

- Socorro Cassaro Novoa – Lay leader from the Monserrate community in Trujillo, Peru, where Pope Leo helped establish Nuestra Señora de Monserrate parish and served from 1992 to 1999

- Nila Ruiz Gonzales – Lay leader from the Santa María community in Trujillo, Peru, where Pope Leo XIV directed the Augustinian formation house and served as pastor in the 1980s and 90s

And don’t forget to come back for the final episode in this series.

Read: "⁠Who is Pope Leo? 5 surprising things I learned while reporting on Robert Prevost,⁠" by Colleen Dulle: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2025/07/10/who-pope-leo-robert-prevost-251107

Help shape the future of the show—take our ⁠end-of-season listener survey⁠.

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Across three episodes, we trace his vocation from Chicago’s South Side through his formative years as an Augustinian friar in the Midwest; training as a canon lawyer in Rome; early ministry in Peru as canon lawyer, priest and formator of future friars and diocesan priests; leadership of the Augustinian Order worldwide; a return to Peru as bishop; and, finally, to the Vatican—first as cardinal and now as pope.

In this first episode, host Colleen Dulle takes listeners from the electrifying moment of his announcement as Pope Leo XIV to a discovery uncovered by a genealogist in New Orleans: just two generations ago, census records listed his family as “Black” or “mulatto,” revealing deep Louisiana roots and a history of enslavement.

But we consider far more than his family tree. We hear about his childhood, seminary years shaped by Vatican II and insights from his brothers and friends in the Augustinian Order that reveal the deep-listening, community-focused approach that defined the ministry of the man then known as Robert Prevost.

In this episode, you’ll hear from:

- Jari C. Honora, genealogist and family historian at the Historic New Orleans Collection

- Dianne Bergant, C.S.A., Professor Emerita of Old Testament Studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, who taught Pope Leo.

- John Merkelis, O.S.A., Augustinian priest and lifelong friend of Pope Leo

- Arthur Purcaro, O.S.A., Augustinian priest, friend and missionary who worked alongside him in Trujillo, Peru

And don’t forget to come back for the next two episodes in this series.

Read: "Who is Pope Leo? 5 surprising things I learned while reporting on Robert Prevost," by Colleen Dulle: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2025/07/10/who-pope-leo-robert-prevost-251107

Help shape the future of the show—take our ⁠end-of-season listener survey⁠.

If you want to hear more deep dives like this, please support this podcast by becoming a  digital subscriber to America Media.

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Find full show notes and related links on our website

Support our podcast—become a ⁠⁠digital subscriber to America Media.

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Find full show notes and related links on our website

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In today’s episode, the team discusses:

- The funeral of Pope Francis

- The cardinal’s decision to start the conclave on May 7

- The College of Cardinals by the numbers

- How the conclave is (and isn’t) a referendum on Pope Francis’ pontificate

Hosted by Sebastian Gomes, America’s executive editor of audio and video, and featuring commentary from “Inside the Vatican” co-hosts Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell, Jesuitical hosts Zac Davis and Ashley McKinless, editor in chief Sam Sawyer, SJ, editor at large James Martin, SJ, and senior editor J.D. Long García.

Sign up for America’s exclusive “Conclave Diary” daily newsletter and get all of our extensive coverage at: AmericaMagazine.org

Links:

- ⁠Conclave to elect a new pope will start on May 7⁠

- ⁠The three surprises of Pope Francis’ funeral⁠

- ⁠Mourners from around the world flock to Rome to say goodbye to ‘pope of the people’⁠

- ⁠Father James Martin: Don’t be afraid of the conclave—or the next pope⁠

- ⁠The papal transition: What you need to know⁠

- ⁠Cardinal Becciu will not participate in conclave following dispute over right to vote⁠

- ⁠The prayer Rome needs right now: Come, Holy Spirit.⁠

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Gerry, who perhaps knew Francis more as a friend than as pope—having shared a personal bond for more than two decades, and whose children were baptized by him—recalls the last time he saw him alive: Easter Sunday, riding through the crowds in his popemobile. “That’s my last image of him,” he says. Colleen reflects on witnessing the pope’s final Urbi et Orbi blessing from the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square and thinking, “He gave his all to the job,” she says. “Really left nothing on the table.” Ricardo remembers the pope’s joy at World Youth Day in Lisbon and the line that has stayed with him: “‘Todos, todos, todos!’ This is the church for all!”

Together, they reflect on the global impact of Francis’ papacy: his outreach to migrants and the poor, his advocacy for peace and the planet, and his reforms on synodality and inclusion. Colleen recalls the pope’s final request, recorded in his last testament: It would be “just a simple grave in the ground with a stone over the top that just says Franciscus on it. No extra ornamentation.”

Please support this podcast by becoming a digital subscriber to America Media.

Further reading

• Pope Francis, trailblazing Jesuit with a heart for the poor, dies at 88
• How Pope Francis changed the place of women in the church
• Pope Francis never stopped being a Jesuit
• Trump, Vance and Biden react to the death of Pope Francis
• A prayer for our beloved Pope Francis
• Vatican releases Pope Francis’ final testament
• What happens after a pope dies?
• Pope Francis died after stroke and heart attack, Vatican says
• Pope Francis’ funeral set for April 26, first photos of his body released
• Before picking a new pope, the cardinals will politick
• In last words, Pope Francis thanked his nurse ‘for bringing me back to the square’

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He died at Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican guesthouse where he lived. A brief service was held there, led by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the camerlengo, who now oversees preparations for the next conclave.

In announcing the pope’s death, Cardinal Farrell said Francis “taught us to live the values of the Gospel with faithfulness, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and the marginalized.”

The cardinals will meet tomorrow, April 22, to set the date of the funeral. Pope Francis will lie in state in St. Peter’s Basilica, likely beginning Wednesday, April 23.

We’ll have much more coverage in the days ahead. For now, you can find Gerry’s obituary and our ongoing reporting here:

• Pope Francis, trailblazing Jesuit with a heart for the poor, dies at 88
• Pope Francis never stopped being a Jesuit
• How Pope Francis changed the place of women in the church
• Pope Francis pushed the U.S. church to move beyond the culture wars—with mixed results
• What happens after a pope dies?
• The official documents of Pope Francis’ papacy

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In this episode, America’s Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell and host Colleen Dulle explain the rise and fall of Theodore McCarrick, once the most prominent prelates in the U.S. Catholic church.

The two unpack the accusations made in Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò’s incendiary 2018 letter and how those are addressed in the Vatican’s recent report. Gerry gives an up-close view of how the events of the last two years unfolded, and Colleen raises questions about whether this report will usher in a new era of accountability.

Please support this podcast by becoming a digital subscriber to America Media.

Find a transcript of this episode here.

Links for further reading and listening:

• Inside the Vatican: A 3-minute summary of what the McCarrick Report reveals
• Disgraced former cardinal Theodore McCarrick dies at 94
• Sexual abuse case against defrocked Cardinal McCarrick suspended in Wisconsin
• Timeline: The allegations against former Cardinal McCarrick

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The doctors said he will have to observe a recovery period of two months before he can return to his usual pace of work. During this time, he can work and have individual meetings, but no big events or meetings with groups.

Find the latest at americamagazine.org.

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Read Gerard O'Connell's report on the message here.

Visit americamagazine.org for the latest on Pope Francis' health.

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His prognosis remains guarded, and doctors will continue to closely monitor his condition.

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His prognosis remains guarded, and doctors say it will take a day or two to assess the impact of this setback.

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This evening’s update also said that Francis’ most recent blood tests revealed “thrombocytopenia,” which is a lowered level of platelets in the blood that is common in critical care patients. This condition resulted in a need for the pope to receive blood transfusions.

Repeating what doctors said at the press conference yesterday, the Vatican said, Pope Francis’ condition remains critical, and he is not yet out of danger.

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In the second half of the show, Colleen and Gerry use Pope Francis’ letter to the U.S. bishops—offering a strong critique of U.S. immigration policy under Trump—as a springboard to explore broader policy tensions between the new administration and the Vatican, from Gaza and Ukraine to U.S.A.I.D. funding, climate change, and artificial intelligence. They also consider whether any common ground can be found between the two.

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Find links for further reading here.

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A statement from the Vatican Monday morning, however, revealed that Pope Francis may need to stay in the hospital longer than originally anticipated. When the pope entered the hospital, the Vatican announced all his engagements were cancelled through Monday. This morning’s statement said that the pope’s test results have shown “a polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract,” which paints a “complex clinical picture that will require an adequate hospital stay.” It was unclear how long that stay would be.

Read Gerry’s latest report here.

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Read more at americamagazine.org

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In this episode of Inside the Vatican, Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell discuss the 2025 Jubilee Year, beginning on Christmas Eve 2024 and ending in January 2026. With the theme “Pilgrims of Hope,” Pope Francis seeks to rekindle hope and trust in the future, encouraging Catholics to deepen their faith through acts of charity, penance, and pilgrimage.

The hosts explore the history of the Jubilee Year, the Vatican’s plans for 2025, and Rome’s preparations to accommodate an anticipated 32 million pilgrims. They also offer travel tips for visitors and alternatives for those unable to make the trip to the Eternal City.

Links for further reading from the episode

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Find the links for further reading here.

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Find full show notes and links for further reading here.

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Zac and Colleen discuss:

- The atmosphere at this year’s synod assembly compared to last year’s

- How controversial topics like L.G.B.T. issues and women’s ordination have been tackled

- The deep conversion that took place among the members and the long-term impact of this gathering on the global church

Jesuitical’s synod coverage is sponsored in part by the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University.

Links from the show:

The Jesuit roots of the synod’s ‘conversations in the spirit’

‘Palpable outrage’: Synod delegates react to women deacons study group meeting

Synod Diary: The Vatican Curia is still learning synodality

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Colleen, Gerry and the 'Inside the Vatican' and 'Jesuitical' teams return to the Vatican to deliver in-depth reporting and on-the-ground analysis of the Synod on Synodality as it happens. Great news: you can follow along from home! Visit AmericaMagazine.org/subscribe and you’ll get access to daily synod diaries along with our full coverage. If you have questions about the synod or topics about the Vatican you’d like us to cover during the synod, let us know! Send an email to insidethevatican@americamedia.org

Find links for further reading from the episode here.

Please support this podcast by becoming a digital subscriber to America Media.

Links for further reading

Five things to watch for in the upcoming October synod

I listened to Synod delegates opposed to LGBTQ issues. Here are my responses.

Women deacons, LGBT issues not on the agenda for October’s synod meeting

Vatican II—and its media coverage—has a lesson for today’s synod: Don’t expect immediate results

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Read more about the pope's historic trip to Asia

Do you have a question for our mailbag episode? We’d love to hear from you! You can submit your questions in writing or send a voice memo to insidethevatican@americamedia.org. Please include your first name in any voice message. Questions are due Sept. 27.

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Find links for further reading on the pope’s Asia trip here.

Do you have a question for our mailbag episode?

Do you have questions about the Synod on Synodality or other Vatican matters? Submit them via email to insidethevatican@americamedia.org by Sept. 27. You can choose to send your question in writing or as a voice memo, but please make sure to include your first name if you’re sending a voice memo.

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In this special deep dive episode of “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle interviews journalists, a canon lawyer, and a historian to trace Viganò’s transformation from top Vatican official to being excommunicated for schism, and what that transformation means for the rest of the Catholic Church.

Special guests:

• Robert Moynihan, editor-in-chief of Inside the Vatican magazine and a friend of Viganò
• Gerard O’Connell, Vatican correspondent for America
• Dawn Eden Goldstein, who holds a licentiate in canon law from the Catholic University of America
• Shaun Blanchard, lecturer in theology at the University of Notre Dame Australia

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“Pope Francis is aware of articles that recently came out about a conversation, behind closed doors,” said Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office. “The pope never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms, and he extends his apologies to those who were offended by the use of a term, reported by others.”

For more on this story, click the links below:

Pope Francis says Italian seminaries should reject gay applicants

Vatican issues apology after Pope Francis’ use of a homophobic slur

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This week on “Inside the Vatican,” David Neuhaus, S.J., an Israeli priest who teaches Scripture in Israel and Palestine, joins hosts Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell for a conversation on what he believes can bring peace in the Holy Land war. He reflects on how Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs can engage in dialogue without dismissing each other’s painful histories, and emphasizes the need for sensitive language when addressing each other’s traumatic histories.

Find full show notes and links for further reading here.

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In this special round table episode of “Inside the Vatican,” America’s Editor-in-Chief Fr. Sam Sawyer, S.J. and the Executive Director of Outreach, America’s LGBT Catholic resource, Michael O’Loughlin, join host Colleen Dulle for a discussion on the document “Dignitas Infinita” and the pastoral challenges it presents in the guests’ ministry to LGBT Catholics.

Find full show page and links for further reading here.

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On “Inside the Vatican,” guest host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., recaps the Rupnik case before interviewing veteran Vatican reporter Gerard O’Connell about a press conference held on Feb. 21 at the Rome headquarters of the Italian National Press Federation. There, Gloria Branciani and Mirjam Kovac publicly discussed the alleged abuses they endured, imploring Vatican authorities to be transparent regarding the ongoing investigation by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Gerry reports that the dicastery has interviewed all the alleged victims and has all but concluded its investigation. “He risks, I understand, being removed from the priesthood,” Gerry says. “But, at the end of the day, because of the process that is underway in the dicastery, it’ll be the pope who has to make that final decision.”

Read the full show notes and find links to read more here.

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Find the full episode page and links for further reading here.

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This declaration follows up on a controversial 2021 response from the dicastery that stated same-sex unions could not be blessed in a liturgical context. The new declaration does not overturn the previous teaching against liturgical blessings, but does allow priests to give non-liturgical blessings to couples in irregular situations, such as a same-sex relationship.

James Martin, S.J., editor-at-large at America Magazine, discusses the significance of this development, noting that it is a step forward and offers a deeper theological reflection. Requesting a blessing is “a holy desire for God's help,” says Father Martin. “Rather than saying God doesn't bless sin, it’s saying, God blesses all of us in our desire for God’s presence in our lives.” Father Martin believes that this declaration is an important step towards inclusivity and pastoral care for L.G.B.T.Q. Catholics, their families and friends.

“This is an early Christmas present for the Catholic Church and for so many people who have felt that God really isn’t accompanying them—and that the church, more specifically, is not accompanying them—and now they will feel more accompanied and able to do these things in public.”

Read more

Pope Francis’ same-sex blessings declaration is a major step forward for LGBTQ Catholics

Pope Francis allows blessings of couples in same-sex relationships

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Links from the show:

On doctor’s orders, Pope Francis cancels trip to Dubai for climate conference

Pope Francis punishes Cardinal Burke, revokes Vatican apartment and salary

This #GivingTuesday, please consider making a tax-free donation to America Media at americamagazine.org/donate. Thank you!

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On the day this update is released, Nov. 22, Pope Francis is expected to meet with families of Israelis being held hostage by Hamas, and separately with a group of Palestinians who have relatives in Gaza. He’s expected to meet each group for around 30 minutes just before his general audience. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the meetings are “exclusively humanitarian in nature” and are meant to express the pope’s closeness to those suffering.

At the end of next week, the pope will travel to Dubai to address the COP28 climate summit. Gerry will be traveling with him on the visit, and you can follow his reporting at americamagazine.org.

Finally, please consider making a tax-free donation to America Media for #GivingTuesday! Visit americamagazine.org/donate. Thank you!

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Read the full show notes and find links to read more here.

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• The open debate about women’s ordination to the diaconate
• Why reference to L.G.B.T. Catholics was not included in the synthesis document
• What the synthesis document is and how it can be read and used widely
• Was this really a synod of bishops?
• Plus, new paths for appointing bishops and performance reviews

Links:

• Father James Martin: What happened at the Synod on Synodality
• Cardinal Cupich on the synod, women deacons, giving bishops job reviews and why ‘LGBTQ’ was left out of the final doc
• Synod publishes final report and votes: Calls for more discussion on synodality, women deacons and more
• Full text: Pope Francis’ homily closing the 2023 Synod on Synodality

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They also talk about the Vatican’s response to the ongoing crisis in Israel and Gaza, including Pope Francis’ weekend phone call with President Biden. Plus, some late-breaking news on Pope Francis’ speech decrying institutional clericalism.

Read the full show notes and find links to read more here.

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Read the full show notes and find links to read more here.

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Inés speaks with Colleen about World Mission Sunday, happening on Oct. 22, and the changes that The Pontifical Mission Societies U.S.A. have made following a $10.2 million financial scandal. They also discuss synod secrecy guidelines, where Inés provides a unique perspective into Vatican communications for the synod.

Read the full show notes and find links to read more here.

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In this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle interviews John Thavis, the former Rome Bureau Chief of Catholic News Service and author of “The Vatican Diaries” and “The Vatican Prophecies,” about how synods and their guidelines around secrecy have evolved over time.

Read the full show notes and find links to read more here.

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They also discuss the “delicate diplomatic line” that Colleen says the Vatican must tread in relation to the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict and Pope Francis’ appeals for peace.

Read the full show notes and find links to read more here.

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Julia played a pivotal role in guiding the U.S. church throughout the synod process. She is also part of the team that wrote the national and continental synthesis documents. She describes her team’s mission as “sacred work,” stressing the need “to include as many voices as possible within the editing process” to create “documents in dialogue” that resonate with everyone’s experiences.

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At the top of the show, Gerry reports on the immediate responses of Pope Francis and other senior church leaders to the escalating violence in Israel and Palestine, which has already ended hundreds of lives and threatened the security of civilians living on and around the Gaza Strip.

Read the full show notes and find links to read more here.

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• The changes that Pope Francis has brought to the synod, making it more open and inclusive.
• How to listen and remain open to the Holy Spirit.
• Lay involvement in the synod, especially of women and young people.

Links from the Show

• Analysis: The synod is not Vatican III. It’s Pope Francis’ implementation of Vatican II.
• America’s synod coverage

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They also talk about the ecumenical prayer vigil hosted by the Taizé community on Sept. 30 and the retreat that the synod participants attended Oct. 1-3. Colleen and Gerry highlight the talks given by Father Timothy Radcliffe, O.P., and the significance of the synod for the broader Christian community.

They also mention the upcoming publication of the document “Laudate Deum” and give updates on the case of Father Marko Rupnik and a proposed Vatican law that would remove abuser priests and any superiors who covered up for them.

Read the full show notes and find links to read more here.

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On this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell and host Colleen Dulle recap three major moments from the pope’s visit, before giving a preview of three major Vatican events coming up  in the next week: The consistory to create new cardinals on Sept. 30, the opening of the Synod on Synodality, and the release of Pope Francis’ follow-up to “Laudato Si’”.

The “Inside the Vatican” and “Jesuitical” podcast teams will be in Rome covering the synod in October! Send your questions about the synod to insidethevatican@americamedia.org and Gerry may answer them on “Jesuitical” next week!

Read the full show notes and find links to read more here.

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Sergei Lavrov, the foreign minister of Russia, announced publicly for the first time that he is prepared to receive Cardinal Zuppi, Pope Francis' special envoy on peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

Gerry joins Ricardo for a conversation on the peace mission—and what it was about Cardinal Zuppi’s visit to Beijing that may have influenced the Russians to open their doors to the cardinal.

In the second half of the show, Gerry and Ricardo unpack Gerry’s interview with Boris Gudziak, Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the United States.

Read the full show notes and find links to read more here.

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Father Cameli, who is Cardinal Blase Cupich’s Delegate for Formation and Mission and a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, joins veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell and host Colleen Dulle for a conversation on voting at the synod.

Read the full show notes and find links to read more here.

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Click here to read the full show page with additional stories and links for further reading.

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Once the seat of the mightiest land empire in history, Mongolia has a rich history and strong cultural identity rooted in Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire. The Catholic Church in Mongolia, however, is young: Aside from a few missionary visitors in the Middle Ages, the church has only had a presence in Mongolia for about 30 years.

Pope Francis will visit Mongolia’s 1,400 Catholics from Aug. 31 to Sept. 4, speaking to civil and religious leaders, including missionaries and participants at an ecumenical and interreligious gathering, and will dedicate a new House of Mercy, one of the charitable organizations that are often Mongolians’ first encounter with the Catholic Church.

In this deep dive episode of “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle speaks with historian Dr. Timothy May, current missionary Br. Andrew Tran and former missionary Fr. Peter Turrone about the history and current situation of Catholicism in Mongolia, and what Pope Francis hopes to achieve in his visit.

Read more:

Explainer: Mongolia only has 1,400 Catholics. Pope Francis is going there anyway.

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Links from the show:

Spanish teen says she regained her sight at World Youth Day Mass

Pope Francis fields questions on abuse, his health on return flight to Rome

Pope Francis at World Youth Day: ‘Live each day with hearts free of fear.’

Behind the scenes of a Way of the Cross like no other at World Youth Day

Podcast: ‘Todos! Todos! Todos!’ A rejuvenated Pope Francis tells young people the church is for everyone

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An energized Pope Francis arrived yesterday, Aug. 2, giving a speech to Portuguese civic leaders in which he urged them to invest in young people and work for peace, especially in Ukraine. He also celebrated vespers and met with a group of survivors of clerical sexual abuse.

The pope is scheduled to participate in several more World Youth Day events and travel to Fatima, where he is again expected to pray for peace in Ukraine.

Links from the show:

Ricardo da Silva, S.J.: How reporting from World Youth Day is reinvigorating my faith

James Martin, S.J.: ‘Does God exist?’ and other FAQs about faith and religion (World Youth Day address)

Ricardo da Silva, S.J.: Ahead of World Youth Day, the head of the Jesuits had a candid Q&A with six young pilgrims

Gerard O’Connell: In Portugal, Pope Francis challenges Europe to invest in young people, not weapons

Catholic News Service: As sex abuse crisis hits Portugal, Pope Francis says listen to the ‘anguished cry of the victims’

Gerard O’Connell: Pope Francis to university students in Portugal: Your degree is a mandate to work for a better society.

Follow Gerry on Twitter: @gerryorome 

Follow Ricardo on Twitter: @ricdssj 

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After that, Gerry and Colleen give a preview of what’s happening in the Vatican this summer.

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Other links from the show

Exclusive interview with Archbishop Frank Leo, Pope Francis’ ally in Toronto

Pope Francis appoints Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernandez as the new head of Vatican office for doctrine

Days after Wagner coup attempt, Pope Francis sends cardinal for peace talks

Deep Dive: Inside the top secret process of appointing a Catholic bishop

Two U.S. bishops were recently subject to Vatican visitations. What do these interventions mean?

Pope Francis is appointing more young bishops. Will they secure his legacy?

Ignatian Wisdom Fellowship from Loyola University Chicago

Sacred Heart Major Seminary’s online course "An Introduction to Spirituality”

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Find the full show page and links for further reading here.

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On each episode listeners will first hear an inspiring homily, especially delivered for the podcast, and then take a privileged peek into the heart and mind of the preacher in a conversation with the host, Jesuit priest and America’s associate editor, Ricardo da Silva, S.J. 

Whether you’re a preacher looking for inspiration or a Catholic in the pews, who believes like Pope Francis, that Catholic homilies could use some work, I hope you’ll check out the Preach podcast!

To give you a taste of the show, we’re sharing this week’s episode of Preach, featuring America’s editor in chief, Sam Sawyer, S.J.

Listen to more episodes of Preach.

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Read more: Jesuits expel prominent artist Marko Rupnik after allegations of abuse against adult women

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Find the full show page and links for further reading here.

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Also in this episode: A nude man protests in St. Peter’s Basilica, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi visits Ukraine to begin Pope Francis’ peace mission, and Benedict XVI’s secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, is given a deadline to move out of the Vatican.

Find the full show page and links for further reading here.

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This week on “Inside the Vatican,” veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell and host Colleen Dulle analyze the document’s strengths and weaknesses. 

On the second part of the show, Colleen and Gerry revisit the story of Sister Lucía Caram, the Argentine nun who drove 2,000 miles each way to bring refugees from Ukraine to Spain, where she lives. In the last 14 months, Sister Lucía has visited Ukraine 18 times, delivered 92 ambulances and helped resettle some 4,000 refugees. Gerry caught up with Sister Lucía in Rome last week; he gives an update on what she has done and seen.

Links from the show

Dicastery for Communication issues document about social media behavior

• Full Document: A Pastoral Reflection on Engagement with Social Media
• Vatican tells the bishops of Catholic Twitter: be reflective, not reactive
• When bishops attack: How Pope Francis handles his critics

Pope Francis meets with Argentine nun about field hospitals in Ukraine

• What an Argentine nun has seen on the frontlines of Ukraine after 18 trips
• Pope Francis is fighting for peace in Ukraine. Here’s how NATO and the US can help his cause.
• Pope Francis’ secret Ukraine-Russia peace mission, explained
• The Convent de Santa Clara Foundation
• Follow Sister Lucía Caram on:
• Twitter (@sorluciacaram)
• Instagram (@sorluciacaram) 

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This week on “Inside the Vatican,” veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell explains why Cardinal Zuppi was chosen for this job despite not being a Vatican diplomat.

In the second half of the show, Gerry and host Colleen Dulle discuss the pope’s planned trip to World Youth Day in Lisbon, August 2 through 6. The pope plans to spend almost a full week in the country currently grappling with a devastating clerical sexual abuse scandal.

While in Portugal, Pope Francis also plans to visit Fátima, the site of a recognized Marian apparition. Gerry and Colleen explain how the “secrets of Fátima” revealed there relate to the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Links from the show

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi to lead peace mission

• Update: Pope Francis has asked Cardinal Matteo Zuppi to conduct Ukraine peace mission
• ​​Pope Francis’ secret Ukraine-Russia peace mission, explained

Pope Francis plans to visit Fatima for World Youth Day

• Vatican confirms Pope Francis trip to Lisbon and Fatima for World Youth Day
• What does Our Lady of Fátima have to do with Russia and Ukraine?

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The pope has repeatedly expressed his desire to visit the war torn Ukraine but only with the proviso that he can also visit Russia. Dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite the pope’s many attempts, has proved impossible.

On “Inside the Vatican” this week, we decode what this latest meeting between the pope and the Ukrainian president might mean for the Vatican’s mediation efforts to end Russia’s war on Ukraine. 

“Francis has made very clear that he's open to conversing with both Zelensky and Putin,” Gerry says. “In fact, Francis didn't have to send anybody to talk with Zelensky because there is a highway of communication all the time going on; whereas on the highway to Moscow, there is very little traffic.” 

Links from the show

Pope Francis meets with Ukranian president Volodymyr Zelensky

• Pope Francis meets with President Zelensky in the Vatican for first time since the war in Ukraine began
• Reports: Zelensky could visit Pope Francis in first papal meeting since beginning of war
• Pope Francis’ secret Ukraine-Russia peace mission, explained

New leadership in Caritas Internationalis

• Interview: New Vatican charity leaders look to the future after workplace crisis

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[Listen and subscribe to “Inside the Vatican” on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.]

In this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell and host Colleen Dulle explain the big questions the abuse commission faces and what is next for this advisory body, following last week’s meeting.

In the second half of the show, Gerry reports on the secret “mission” Pope Francis says he has undertaken to end the war in Ukraine. The pope was sparse on details, but Gerry’s sources have offered him greater insight into the pope’s plan and the people he has engaged to reach Russia and Ukraine.

Links from the show

Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors meets without Hans Zollner, S.J.

• Pope Francis to conflict-ridden sex abuse commission: This is ‘the moment of reparation.’
• Pope Francis tells bishops of Latin America, where new sex abuse protections aren’t in place, to make it a priority
• Jesuit abuse expert Hans Zollner explains decision to resign from Vatican safeguarding commission
• Jesuit sex abuse expert Hans Zollner resigns from papal commission over ‘urgent concerns’
• Jesuit sexual abuse expert discusses the Marko Rupnik case, the Society of Jesus and the state of the abuse crisis
• Jesuit sex abuse expert appointed to Vatican office for child protection

Pope Francis reveals plan for peace between Russia and Ukraine

• Pope Francis’ secret peace mission, explained
• Kremlin denies working with Vatican on Ukraine peace talks
• Pope Francis: ‘When it’s public I’ll talk about it’—hints at secret talks to end Ukraine-Russia war
• In Hungary, Pope Francis meets with Ukrainian refugees and Russian church official
• Asked if Putin is committing genocide in Ukraine, Pope Francis doesn’t say no

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This week on Inside the Vatican, hosts Colleen Dulle (with baby William) and Ricardo da Silva join veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell to discuss Pope Francis’ recent visit to Hungary.

The pope used his public messages during the visit to highlight the plight of migrants and refugees, saying “Jesus is an open door.” Pope Francis has been at odds with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán over the prime minister’s restrictions on migration. Hungary has made exceptions to welcome Christian refugees in particular; the pope, in his homily at Mass, lamented “"the doors we close toward those who are foreign or unlike us.”

Colleen and Gerry also discuss the pope’s words on Ukraine, which borders Hungary, during the apostolic visit. After Pope Francis hinted at a secret peace “mission” to Russia and Ukraine, both the Kremlin and Ukrainian officials denied knowing anything about such a mission. The Vatican has made headway in its humanitarian efforts during the war, but can it get both parties to the table for peace negotiations?

Links from the show

Pope Francis returns from weekend papal visit to Hungary

• Amid Hungary’s ‘no migrants’ policy, Pope Francis urges open doors and welcome
• Pope Francis praises Hungary’s protection of traditional values—and pushes the country to welcome migrants
• Pope Francis reflects on his visit to Hungary and building bridges of peace
• Pope Francis will travel to Hungary at the end of April
• Pope Francis meets Hungary’s Victor Orban—with Ukraine war as the backdrop
• Pope Francis in Budapest calls on the Hungarian Catholic Church and its pastors ‘to be builders of bridges and promoters of dialogue’
• What to expect from Pope Francis’ trip to Hungary and Slovakia
• American conservatives have fallen in love with Hungary. Pope Francis is less impressed.
• Lesson from Hungary: Anti-Catholicism is not a good response to anti-L.G.B.T.Q. laws

Pope Francis’ secret peace mission

• Pope Francis: ‘When it’s public I’ll talk about it’—hints at secret talks to end Ukraine-Russia war
• In Hungary, Pope Francis meets with Ukrainian refugees and Russian church official
• At the Vatican, Ukrainian prime minister asks Pope Francis for help returning children kidnapped by Russia

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“More than 20 percent of the participants will be non-bishops,” says Gerry. “This can be priests, it can be consecrated women and men, it can be lay women and men.” 

The announcement of the change to the synod’s voting pattern happened just days before Pope Francis is set to visit Hungary on an official state visit. On arrival, he will honor his diplomatic commitments, meeting with government officials and various dignitaries, among them XX the country’s president. Significantly, he is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán who aside from “being the longest-serving prime minister in Europe,” Gerry says, is also “a close ally of Vladimir Putin in Russia.”  

“We are seeing the Pope try every which way to get the message across to Vladimir Putin,” says Ricardo, “about the importance of coming to the table and dialoguing on the issues in the war between Ukraine and Russia.”

While in Hungary the pope will also take the opportunity to exercise his role as pastor to the worldwide Catholic Church. He will meet with young people, refugees and some of the other most impoverished people in the land, but he also plans to meet with the Jesuits who minister in this landlocked central European country.

In the second half of this week’s show, Ricardo and Gerry discuss a new controversy that was sparked after remarks made in a speech by Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, the president of the Pontifical Academy for Life led some to suggest that the church has drastically changed its position on euthanasia and medically-assisted suicide. 

But, it appears that Archbishop Paglia’s “comments were misconstrued,” Ricardo says. “He is clearly feeding into this highly charged debate in Italian parliament... He is worried that any implications or any changes to the law will have implications on the church's defense of life … its moral teaching on the sanctity of life, dignity, and care for the human person.”

Finally, Gerry talks about Pope Francis’ revelation in an interview for La Nacion, the leading Argentine newspaper, that he has asked Archbishop Georg Gänswein to leave his residence at the Vatican, and either find alternative lodgings in Italy or return to his native Germany. “Some might read this eviction as a kind of retribution from Pope Francis for the polemical things written in his book,” Ricardo says, a claim that Gerry refutes. “Benedict died in the end of December, we are now almost at the beginning of May,” Gerry says. “Six months to change houses? Not exactly an offense to anybody.”

Links from the show

Pope Francis announces all synod participants will vote at the upcoming synod

• For first time in history, Pope Francis gives women right to vote at the synod

Pope Francis prepares for weekend papal visit to Hungary

• Pope Francis will travel to Hungary at the end of April
• Pope Francis meets Hungary’s Victor Orban—with Ukraine war as the backdrop
• Pope Francis in Budapest calls on the Hungarian Catholic Church and its pastors ‘to be builders of bridges and promoters of dialogue’
• What to expect from Pope Francis’ trip to Hungary and Slovakia
• American conservatives have fallen in love with Hungary. Pope Francis is less impressed.
• Lesson from Hungary: Anti-Catholicism is not a good response to anti-L.G.B.T.Q. laws

Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia comments on medically-assisted suicide

• Head of the the Pontifical Academy for Life affirms his opposition to euthanasia

Archbishop Georg Gänswein is asked to leave the Vatican

• Pope Benedict XVI’s secretary, advocate and confidant: What you need to know about Georg Gänswein
• Archbishop Gänswein says he was “pained” by Francis’ decision to reassign him

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Mr. Orlandi, speaking on an Italian TV program, said that he had learned from a source that “John Paul II sometimes went out at night with two Polish monsignors, and he clearly did not go out to bless houses.” His comments have been understood to imply that the late pope was out sexually grooming young women at night. They were all the more surprising because they were made immediately after a lengthy meeting earlier that day between Mr. Orlandi, his lawyer and Alessandro Diddi—the Vatican’s chief prosecutor—to discuss the case.

When pressed after his interview to share the details of the comments implicating the saint-pope, Mr. Orlandi and his lawyer invoked their legal privilege no to disclose their source. Mr. Orlandi, through his lawyer, said that his comments “never accused John Paul II of these attempts at going out after girls,” Gerry reports. “This frustrated the prosecutor,” Gerry says, and “the prosecutor says, this is a break in the investigation, stopping the investigation,” and jeopardizes the ongoing process.

In the second half of the show, Gerry and Ricardo share what happened at a press conference in Rome on Monday, April 17, where Hans Zollner, S.J., explained in greater detail why he resigned suddenly last month from the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. Father Zollner is a German, Jesuit priest and the most recognizable authority on dealing with the scourge of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.

Father Zollner has said his resignation was necessary because of shortcomings on “responsibility, compliance, accountability and transparency,” within the commission. 

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Links from the show

Pope Francis defends John Paul II

• Pope Francis defends John Paul II in ‘Vatican Girl’ case
• Pope Francis wants the truth out on decades-old cold case of the missing ‘Vatican girl’ in safeguarding commission
• ‘Vatican Girl’: Netflix’s true-crime documentary on the Holy See’s 40-year-old missing person mystery
• Vatican Intrigue: A Jesuit’s secret identity and a new Netflix true crime series

Hans Zollner, S.J., resigns

• Jesuit abuse expert Hans Zollner explains decision to resign from Vatican safeguarding commission

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Matteo Bruni, the director of the Vatican Press Office, confirmed the installation in a statement on April 6. The Holy See had been informed of the appointment only “a few days prior,” Mr. Bruni said, and was only alerted to the bishop’s installation through reporting in the mainstream media. It appears the appointment is in direct violation of the highly controversial bilateral agreement that the Vatican reached with China in 2018, and renewed last October. “It's the pope's prerogative to nominate the bishop to a diocese,” says Gerry. “Many people are now—even those who are quite in support of the agreement—are raising questions.”

In the second half of the show, Gerry and Ricardo review “The Pope: Answers,” a new documentary film on Hulu. In the documentary, Pope Francis has a conversation with 10 young people from Spain, Senegal, Argentina, Peru, Colombia and the United States, aged between 20 and 25 years old. 

Among them are an atheist; a porn content creator; a nonbinary person; a survivor of sexual abuse; and a former nun from Peru, who is lesbian. They talk candidly about sexual abuse, the pope’s salary, loss of faith and dating apps like Tinder. “It’s such an intimate and personal film,” says Ricardo. “It really was a good example of what it is to live out synodality, which is what Pope Francis is calling us to do, really listen to each other.”

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Links from the show

New bishop installed in Shanghai

• China installs new bishop in Shanghai, in apparent violation of Vatican-China deal

Holy Week

• Pope Francis’ Easter Message: The international community must strive to end the war in Ukraine
• Pope Francis’ Easter Vigil homily 2023: The women at Easter bring the news that will change life and history forever
• Pope Francis to miss Way of the Cross event in cold Rome
• Pope Francis washes the feet of young prisoners in Holy Thursday rite, telling them: ‘Any of us’ can fall into sin.

“The Pope: Answers”

• Watch “The Pope: Answers” on Hulu

Twenty-five years of the Good Friday Agreement

• Pope Francis prays for lasting peace in Northern Ireland on 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement

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“Inside the Vatican” hosts, Ricardo da Silva, S.J. and Gerard O’Connell discuss how the pope bounced back from bronchitis, silencing the ever-growing stirrings of his resignation in time to preside at the Mass that ushers in the holiest week of the Christian calendar.

In the second half of the show, Gerry and Ricardo reflect on the pope’s homily for Palm Sunday and preview the Vatican’s plans for the Easter Triduum. 

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Links from the show

Pope Francis in hospital

• After hospital pizza party and baptizing a baby, Pope Francis expected to return to Vatican Saturday
• Pope Francis’ hospitalization actually gave me hope for the Catholic Church

Holy Week at the Vatican

• Pope Francis, out of hospital, presides at Palm Sunday celebration
• Read: Pope Francis’ homily for Palm Sunday 2023. ‘The abandoned’ are the ‘Christs of our day.’
• Cardinal Farrell: Pope Francis’ critics are wrong. He’s no autocrat.

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For more background, analysis, and developments on the doctrine of discovery and its impact over the centuries, please visit americamagazine.org. We also have an Inside the Vatican Deep Dive on the Pope’s visit to Indigenous Peoples in Canada last year and a video explainer on our Youtube channel.

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Photos of Pope Francis wearing a luxury oversized, white puffer jacket, that sells for anywhere up to $6,000, went viral this weekend. 

A single tweet of the pope’s updated winter wardrobe invited 25,000 retweets, and Google Trends reported a dramatic increase in pope-related searches. 

But, however realistic and convincing the photo might have appeared, it was a total fake, generated using an artificial intelligence platform. 

On “Inside the Vatican,” this week co-hosts Ricardo da Silva, S.J. and Gerard O’Connell, look at why some tech bosses are turning to the Vatican for moral guidance as new and evermore sophisticated waves of artificial intelligence take hold.

“What is the moral position on A.I.?”, Ricardo asks. “Has the Vatican said anything about the rapidly growing sophistication of algorithms and artificial intelligence, and the frightening capacity they have to deceive us?”

Later in the show, we parse the revised “Vos Estis Lux Mundi,” Pope Francis’ landmark instruction on the Vatican's procedural norms for dealing with the scourge of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church which goes into effect next month. 

Until now, the instruction had been issued on an experimental three-year basis. On April 30, it will be promulgated definitively into official church law.

Most of the document has remained the same but there are a few important changes, among them the fact that leaders of international lay movements can now be disciplined under church law for abuses committed against those in their care, and those to whom they minister

“This is a work in progress,” Gerry says. “Nobody says the law as issued now is the final word. We may find that in another two years, Francis may well make another amendment to this law.”

Links from the show:

The Vatican is worried about artificial intelligence

Should we be worried about A.I.? Theologians, philosophers and Catholic thinkers weigh in

Pope Francis confirms ‘vulnerable adults’ are covered by updated Vatican sex abuse law

Pope Francis tells bishops of Latin America, where new sex abuse protections aren’t in place, to make it a priority

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The pope was taken to hospital by ambulance today, Wednesday, Mar 29, after he complained that he was experiencing chest pains following the celebration of the Angelus at midday in St. Peter’s Square. 

According to sources at the Vatican, Massimiliano Strappetti, the pope’s personal health care assistant decided to call the ambulance, which took him to the Gemelli Hospital in Rome where he was taken immediately to the cardiac unit for examination. 

But, following further examination and tests, including a test that ruled out a Covid-19 infection, Matteo Bruni, the director of the Vatican press office, issued a statement confirming that Pope Francis was experiencing a respiratory infection and would undergo some days of treatment in hospital. 

Hans Zollner, S.J, who has speerheaded the Vatican’s response to the sexual abuse crisis within its own ranks has resigned from his position on the Pontifical Council for the Protection of Minors.

Father Zollner, a psychologist and leading expert in the protection of minors and vulnerable adults, said that his resignation has arisen because, quote, “I have noticed issues that need to be urgently addressed and which have made it impossible for me to continue further.”

He went on to cite specific concern for how the commission had gone about achieving its goals, “over some years now” he said, with respect to quote “responsibility, compliance, accountability and transparency.” And he questioned the selection process of the commission’s members, financial accountability and transparency in its decision-making. 

Read more:

Pope Francis will remain in hospital for several days with respiratory infection

Jesuit sex abuse expert Hans Zollner resigns from papal commission over ‘urgent concerns’

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At the center of the trial is Cardinal Angelo Becciu, the substitute for General Affairs at the Vatican’s Secretariat of State from 2011-18, the equivalent of the Vatican’s chief of staff. He is being tried for embezzlement and abuse of his office. The cardinal is also the highest-ever prelate to be tried by the tribunal since Pope Francis changed the Vatican’s rules in April 2021 to allow bishops and cardinals to stand trial in civil and criminal matters. 

Cardinal Becciu was effectively responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Holy See for 7 years, before he was appointed prefect of the then-Congregation for the Causes of Saints, before he suddenly resigned from that role and relinquished his privileges as cardinal, which include the right to vote in any future conclave. 

The trial principally investigates the controversial $225 million purchase of an investment property in Chelsea, London, which is one of the wealthiest districts in the world. It is alleged the property was paid for, in part, using funds collected from Peter’s Pence, a Vatican fund intended to help the church in its various needs across the world, especially in its outreach and relief to the most materially impoverished people and places. 

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” co-hosts Ricardo da Silva, S.J., and Gerard O’Connell discuss the most recent happenings at the Vatican’s mega-trial of the century and what has surfaced from the testimony of key witnesses. In the second half of the show, the hosts look at allegations arising from a new documentary on Polish television which alleges that when Pope John Paul II was archbishop of Krakow he knew of and covered up allegations of the sexual abuse of minors by three priests under his care.  

Related links:

Top Vatican official says London property deal was a double ‘Via Crucis’

John Paul II knew of and concealed child sex abuse as archbishop, Polish TV reports

In a historic first, a cardinal stood trial at the Vatican over involvement in a real estate scandal

The biggest criminal trial in modern Vatican history begins tomorrow. Here’s what you need to know.

Powerful Vatican Cardinal Becciu resigns amid financial scandal

Cardinals and bishops to lose special legal privileges under new papal decree

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On “Inside the Vatican” this week, host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., and veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell are joined by senior editor Kevin Clarke to discuss the ongoing conflict between the Nicaraguan president and the Holy See. 

“There are so few independent voices left within Nicaragua,” Kevin says on the podcast. “Thousands of non-governmental organizations have been shut down. The independent press is essentially acting in exile to cover political developments in Nicaragua. The last man standing was the Catholic Church.”

Later on, Ricardo and Gerry discuss another interview Pope Francis gave last week. In the interview with Elisabetta Piqué, who is Gerry’s wife and a Rome-based correspondent for La Nacion, the Argentine news outlet, the pope again criticized the ongoing war in Ukraine, stopping short of labeling the wanton killings there a genocide, he also condemned what he called “the ideological colonization of gender,” and announced “everyone will have the right to vote” at the upcoming “Synod on Synodality,” settling a long-held question as to whether women would be allowed to vote for the first time in a church synod. The revelation has taken even senior Vatican officials by surprise.

In celebration of Pope Francis’ first decade at the helm of the Catholic Church, Ricardo and Gerry close the show sharing their abiding sense of Pope Francis. For Gerry, who has known the pope for 18 years, “this man is a pastor,” he says. “I have seen this at a very personal level, at a level of the family, but I see it also at the level of the leader of the Catholic Church in relation to Catholics, [and] in relation also to the people of the world.”

“The phrase that he uses over and over is a ‘culture of encounter,’” Ricardo says. “He’s somebody who is constantly trying to read where people are at, what people are struggling with, what people are talking about. Not shutting down conversations, but also not scared to say what he thinks in all of this.”

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Related links:

• Nicaragua proposes cutting Vatican ties after Pope Francis compared Ortega regime to Hitler
• With a ‘sham trial’ of a Nicaraguan bishop about to begin, a clampdown on the nation’s Catholic Church continues
• Asked if Putin is committing genocide in Ukraine, Pope Francis doesn’t say no
• Pope Francis denounces imprisonment of Nicaragua’s Bishop Rolando Álvarez
• With a ‘sham trial’ of a Nicaraguan bishop about to begin, a clampdown on the nation’s Catholic Church continues
• Pope Francis says ‘ideology of gender’ is ‘dangerous’ and that ‘everyone’ will vote in the Synod, in new interview with La Nacion
• Why can’t women vote at the Synod on Young People?
• Video: Top 10 moments of Pope Francis

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10 years later, all of this has provoked heated debates in the Catholic Church. Everyone has an opinion about the direction Francis has led his flock. In this special deep dive episode for Francis’ 10th anniversary of election, we’re exploring key themes of the Francis papacy that have sparked intense fear, unexpected joy and furious debate among the faithful. 

Inside the Vatican is made possible by our digital subscribers. To become a subscriber, visit americamagazine.org/subscribe

The Disaster Services Corporation (DSC) serves families impacted by man-made and natural disasters. Please consider giving the gift of a fresh start to a disaster survivor family. Donate at svdpdisaster.org

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• Pope Francis announces his visit to Hungary in April 2023
• Pope Francis says he does not ‘condemn capitalism’ in new book
• Pope Francis calls for greater dialogue, fraternity and peace between Pasletinians and Israelis, and prays for the migrants who perished in a shipwreck off the coast of Italy. 

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On his recent visit to Africa, Pope Francis told Jesuits in the Democratic Republic of Congo that he has no intention to resign early from the papacy, and that the decision for any pope to resign should not become “a fashion, or a normal thing.”

Finally, we’ve entered the season of Lent. Pope Francis has asked Catholics to journey not alone, but in community with others; who together, sustain, encourage, listen and challenge one another.

Related stories:

Interview: Vatican foreign minister on a year of war in Ukraine, the growing nuclear threat and relations with Putin

Pope Francis reaffirms bishops must get Vatican approval to allow Latin Mass

​​Pope Francis: ‘The pope’s ministry is for life,’ resignation should not become ‘the normal thing’

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We’ll hear from Vatican historians and journalists about how the process evolved from folks being devoted to holy people in their cities to a codified Vatican process. We’ll talk with individuals who are working on Dorothy Day's canonization cause in New York about how the significant cost and local politics can lead to causes being delayed indefinitely. And finally, we’ll look into how miracles are verified—and why some people think that ought to change.

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America Media’s associate editor, Ricardo da Silva, S.J. and veteran Vatican reporter, Gerard O’Connell discuss the pope’s visit to these two conflict-ridden, yet faith-filled, African countries. 

Gerry was aboard the plane, traveled with Pope Francis from place to place, and was there to witness the Pope's meetings with the millions of people who lined the streets and stadiums to see him. 

On the show, Gerry shares some of what he experienced among the people of the Congo and South Sudan this past week, and offers us a taste of a church, which he says is amazing and alive.

Please consider supporting Inside the Vatican by purchasing a digital subscription to America at www.americamag.org/subscribe.

Related links:

Pope Francis tells foreign exploiters in Congo: ‘Hands off Africa!’

Pope Francis tells young people: ‘You are the seed of a new South Sudan.’

Pope Francis preaches peace to one million Congolese people at Zaire rite Mass

Pope Francis arrives in South Sudan with a message that ‘may appear blunt and direct’ to its leaders

‘We thank God for the pope’: Takeaways from Pope Francis’ visit to the D.R.C.

Pope Francis: Critics who used Benedict’s death ‘have no ethics’

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The Democratic Republic of Congo is the first stop on his visit to the African continent, where he will remain until Friday, Feb. 3. Pope Francis has said he is on a “mission of peace” to these African nations. 

The D.R.C. is rich in mineral wealth, and though it won independence in 1960, it has continued to be embroiled in political, tribal and even interreligious conflicts. It is also the largest Catholic community in Africa—45 million Catholics, about 50 percent of the D.RC.’s total population.  

On the show this week, Ricardo da Silva, S.J., interviews Toussaint Kafarhire Murhula, S.J., a priest, political analyst, and the director of Centre Arrupe, a center for research and formation in Lubumbashi, on the country’s southeastern tip, ahead of the first visit a pope has made there in 38 years.

To support Inside the Vatican please consider getting a digital subscription at americamagazine.org/subscribe

Links from the show:

Congolese Jesuit on Pope Francis’ Africa visit: ‘Women are expecting some changes to happen’

VIDEO Why Pope Francis will visit South Sudan  

VIDEO Pope Francis is on a mission of peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Pope Francis taps Chicago-born bishop to lead Vatican department that evaluates new bishops

Pope Francis preaches peace to one million Congolese people at Zaire rite Mass

Pope Francis tells foreign exploiters in Congo: ‘Hands off Africa!’

What to expect during Pope Francis’ visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan

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The day after Ricardo and Gerry recorded this episode, Pope Francis gave a wide-ranging interview to Nicole Winfield, the Vatican reporter for the Associated Press, in which he addressed a range of topics including homosexuality, his own handling of the sexual abuse crisis, the Vatican’s agreement with China on the selection and appointment of bishops, and his own health. But perhaps most relevant to this episode, Pope Francis responded in the interview to his critics on many fronts.

You can read Ricardo’s summary of the AP interview with Pope Francis here. 

Pope Francis has instructed all bishops traveling to Rome for the first main session of the Synod on Synodality this October to arrive four days early for a silent retreat. The retreat will be led by Timothy Radcliffe, O.P., the former head of the worldwide Dominican order, a popular preacher and writer. The pope has also called the leaders of Christian churches and their faithful to assemble with him in Rome ahead of the Synod to pray for its success alongside the Catholic faithful and bishops who will be there.

Pope Francis will visit the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan from Jan. 31 to Feb. 5, in a long-awaited visit to the Christian churches postponed last year because of his recurring knee troubles. We look at the pope’s weeklong itinerary and tease out his reasons for making this first-ever visit to these two sub-Saharan African countries long blighted by famine and civil unrest, but filled with hope.

Links from the show:

• Pope Francis gives major interview on his critics, sex abuse, decriminalizing homosexuality and more
• Deep dive: The ‘Synod on Synodality’ — What’s done and what comes next?
• Pope Francis postponed his trip to South Sudan. What does this mean for people living there?

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You can read an article summarizing the interview, by Ricardo da Silva S.J., at americamagazine.org.

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On this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Ricardo da Silva, S.J., and Gerard O’Connell dive into the revelations since the cardinal’s death and recall Cardinal Pell’s anti-Pope Francis actions over the years, which date back to the conclave that elected the present pope. 

“As one Vatican official said to me,” Gerry says, “maybe he saw quite clearly what direction Pope Francis was leading the church and didn’t like what he saw; especially in terms of the position on moral questions but also in the position of moving away from clericalism, giving more responsibility to the laity in the church.”

In the second half of the show, they discuss the latest developments in a class-action lawsuit filed in Quebec, Canada, last summer. The case implicates at least 88 clergy members and notably includes Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, which is the Vatican office that manages the selection process of the world’s bishops. 

In a shocking move this December, which Gerry believes is “unprecedented,” Cardinal Ouellet filed a $100,000 countersuit for defamation against “Ms. F.” He alleged his accuser had tarnished his name by bringing false accusations against him and claimed he did not even know her. Last Friday, Jan. 13, Ms. F. chose to respond to the cardinal’s escalated action by publicly revealing herself as Pamela Groleau, saying she intends by this move to reclaim her dignity and bring the church to acknowledge the crimes of its clerics.

“I think something else we can expect,” Ricardo says, “which undoubtedly will happen, and which Pamela Groleau herself says in the statement that she made when she revealed her identity, is that this, she hopes, will inspire others to come forward and tell their stories. And so this will open the floodgates.”

And the floodgates have already started to crack. Shortly after recording the episode, Golias Hebdo, a French news magazine revealed that a second woman, known only as “Marie,” had also brought accusations of sexual misconduct against Cardinal Ouellet. 

Links from the show:

• Explainer: Cardinal Pell’s complicated (and critical) relationship with Pope Francis
• Cardinal Pell blasts Pope Francis in secret memo: ‘This pontificate is a disaster’
• Cardinal Ouellet announces lawsuit against woman who claimed sexual assault 
• Pope Francis says not enough evidence to try Cardinal Ouellet, a close adviser, for sexual assault
• Podcast: Vatican issues new universal laws on sexual abuse (listen around 11:50)
• Pope Francis issues new rules for accountability and response to allegations of sexual abuse

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On “Inside the Vatican” this week, hosts Ricardo da Silva, S.J., and Gerard O’Connell, delve into Cardinal Pell’s legacy dealing with sexual abuse—not only the charges of which he was exonerated, but also the controversial approach he took in dealing with the clerical sexual abuse of minors when he was the archbishop of Melbourne, which some people argue, Ricardo says, “was much more reform to protect the abusers than those abused.” They also look at his stealthy and much-praised reforms to Vatican finances, when he served as the first prefect for the then-Secretariat of the Economy under Pope Francis, with whom he “was not exactly 100 percent on the same theological vision of church as,” says Gerry. “One of the first things the pope aimed at was the reform of Vatican finances—he knew that that really was a jungle,” Gerry adds. “And so he chose what he called the ranger, the Australian ranger. And he said, ‘You take charge.’”

Cardinal Joseph Zen Zi-kiun, the 90-year-old prelate from Hong Kong, who was arrested on suspicious charges last year, was given special permission to travel to the Vatican to attend the funeral of his friend, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. While in Rome, Cardinal Zen also met with Pope Francis. The meeting sparked questions about what many have thought to be an adversarial relationship between the two. Gerry and Ricardo parse the meeting, which Gerry judges to have been “something great; a healing event, a moment of reconciliation.” For Ricardo, the meeting between the two reveals how “complex these issues are,” he says. And it also reveals a larger move “by certain religious media—Catholic media—to put Pope Francis in opposition to others, or others in opposition to Pope Francis,” he argues. “This is a simplification that doesn’t tell half of the story.”

In the second half of the show, Ricardo and Gerry dig into the news surrounding Archbishop Georg Gänswein, who was Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s closest aide and confidant as well as his personal secretary. Gänswein is releasing a tell-all book that he says will answer long-held questions about, among others, the complicated relationship between Pope Francis and the pope emeritus; the drama surrounding the butler responsible for the “Vatileaks” scandal—which sought to expose the Vatican's dirty finances; and the 30-year-old missing person case of Emanuela Orlandi or “Vatican Girl,” as she has come to be known in the title of a Netflix documentary. Ricardo and Gerry address some of the questions the book raises, and whether the book will further compromise the archbishop’s already tenuous relationship with the present pope. 

Gerry has read an advanced copy of the book, and with it, he says that “Gänswein has shot himself in the foot.”

Links from the show:

Australia’s Cardinal Pell dies suddenly at 81

Pope Francis meets with Hong Kong’s Cardinal Zen the day after Benedict XVI’s funeral

Pope Benedict XVI’s secretary, advocate and confidant: What you need to know about Georg Gänswein

Pope Francis has private audience with longtime Benedict aide amid tell-all book fallout

Cardinal Pell blasts Pope Francis in secret memo: ‘This pontificate is a disaster’

‘Vatican Girl’: subject of Netflix’s true-crime show has case reopened by Holy See

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About 50,000 people came to the Vatican to pay their final respects to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI—who served the Catholic Church for nearly eight years before his historic retirement in February 2013—the first time in 600 years that a pope had resigned from office. From the time of his resignation until his death, Benedict had led a life of relative quiet and contemplation at a monastery inside the Vatican.

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Ricardo da Silva, S.J., an associate editor at America Media, speaks with Gerard O’Connell, our regular co-host on the show, and David Gibson, the director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University in New York and the author of The Rule of Benedict: Pope Benedict XVI and His Battle with the Modern World. 

In the first part of the show, Ricardo talks with Gerry and David about what made this first-ever funeral of a pope emeritus different from that of a pope who dies while still in office. They also address the criticism that Pope Francis’ homily did not sufficiently eulogize and recognize the legacy of the former pope. 

In the second half of the show, Ricardo, Gerry and David discuss the legacy of Pope Benedict’s nearly eight years as pope and his 24 years as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

 Read more on the life and legacy of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at americamagazine.org.

Links from the show:

A video version of this podcast on America’s YouTube channel

Pope Francis presides over historic funeral for Benedict XVI

What you need to know about the historic funeral of Pope Benedict XVI

Eulogy vs. homily: When should you talk about the deceased in a Catholic funeral?

Pope Benedict XVI, defender of orthodoxy defined by historic resignation, dies at 95

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Joseph Ratzinger was elected pope and took the name Benedict XVI in 2005 after the long papacy of John Paul II. In 2013, Benedict XVI became the first pope in 600 years to resign voluntarily from his office, which made it possible for future popes to resign if they should find their mental or physical health failing or the weighty burden of office too much for them to bear.

Benedict lived as an emeritus pope for almost 10 years, a period longer than he was pope. 

This evening at the Vatican, Pope Francis said of his predecessor, “With emotion we remember his person so noble, so kind. And we feel in our hearts so much gratitude: gratitude to God for having given him to the Church and to the world; gratitude to him, for all the good he accomplished, and especially for his witness of faith and prayer, especially in these last years of his retired life. Only God knows the value and strength of his intercession, of his sacrifices offered for the good of the Church.”

Read more on the life and legacy of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at americamagazine.org.

Links from the show:

Pope Benedict XVI, defender of orthodoxy defined by historic resignation, dies at 95

Pope Benedict’s theological legacy: An Augustinian at heart who influenced the course of Vatican II and beyond

Pope Benedict XVI’s devotion to the Eucharist: A key to understanding his life and theology

Pope Francis will preside at Benedict’s funeral in St. Peter’s Square on Jan. 5

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On “Inside the Vatican” this week, veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell and host Colleen Dulle give an update on the former pope’s health. According to a Vatican spokesman, by the time of the podcast’s release, his condition had stabilized somewhat overnight but remained serious.

The rest of the podcast looks at three of Pope Francis’ Christmas messages: His homily for Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, his Christmas Day Urbi et Orbi message, and his pre-Christmas address to the Roman Curia.

Gerry first gives an inside look at Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter’s Square where, he said, the crowds had nearly returned to their pre-Covid size. Colleen and Gerry unpack the pope’s homily, which focused on the image of Jesus’ manger and urged those present, including foreign dignitaries, to do “something good” this Christmas.

On Christmas Day, the pope used his Urbi et Orbi address to draw attention to places of suffering in the world through the eyes of children. “May the Lord inspire us to offer concrete gestures of solidarity to assist all those who are suffering,” he said. “Tragically, we prefer to heed other counsels, dictated by worldly ways of thinking. Yet who is listening to the voice of the Child?”

Finally, in his annual address to the Roman Curia, Pope Francis continued the theme of his addresses in past years, using insights from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola to call those who work in the Vatican’s central offices to conversion.

Links from the show:

Pope Francis asks for special prayer for ‘very ill’ Benedict XVI

Vatican update: Benedict XVI is ‘lucid and alert,’ but condition remains serious

Pope Francis: Rediscover the meaning of Christmas in the manger

Listen to the cries of the newborn Prince of Peace, pope says on Christmas

Pope Francis compares Roman Curia to the Prodigal Son’s ‘elder brother’ in annual address

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On this week’s episode of “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and producer Ricardo da Silva, S.J., who is filling in for Gerard O’Connell, walk listeners through the timeline of what we now know, along with the important questions and takeaways about this case.

“I think the important thing to know here is that we are coming to a place where it is very difficult, near impossible, to hide anything happening inside the church among very powerful people. And so this has shown that we will get at answers,” Ricardo explains. “The great takeaway for me is, is really more one as a member of a religious order, and it's an appeal that I make to religious orders out there including my own: It is really important for us to set the story straight immediately and to reveal all the known facts in a case, and not to hide behind legalese, not to hide behind legal prescriptions, but to say what happened when it happened as quickly as we can.”

In the first half of the show, Ricardo and Colleen recap several other recent Vatican news stories, including Pope Francis’ revelation that he has already signed his letter of resignation and the removal of outspoken anti-abortion activist Frank Pavone from the priesthood.

Links from the show:

Vatican investigator says abuse allegations against Jesuit Marko Rupnik are true

Jesuits ask victims to come forward in abuse case of Jesuit artist Marko Rupnik

Pope Francis reveals he signed resignation letter in case of medical impairment

Vatican defrocks Father Frank Pavone for blasphemous posts, disobedience

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The facts are difficult to confirm, so this week on the podcast Colleen and Gerry also explain the process they use to determine whether information is credible.

The day after this episode was recorded, Father Arturo Sosa, superior general of the Society of Jesus, confirmed to the Associated Press that in 2019, two years prior to the most recent allegations of abuse, Father Rupnik had been “convicted and sanctioned” by the Vatican for granting absolution in the confessional to a woman with whom he had “engaged in sexual activity.” A priest absolving someone of a sin he committed with that person is a serious crime according to church law, and it results in automatic excommunication. The excommunication can only be lifted if the priest admits to the crime, which Father Sosa said Father Rupnik did. You can read more on this story here.

In the second part of the show, Gerry and Colleen turn their focus to Ukraine. Pope Francis grew overwhelmed with emotion last week while praying for what he calls the “martyred” nation, pausing in the middle of his prayer to choke back tears. The hosts recount how Russian and Ukrainian have responded to this display of emotion, and Gerry provides some historical context for past times popes have cried publicly.

Links from the show:

‘We have not hidden anything’: Jesuit superior general interviewed on abuse allegations against Marko Rupnik

Jesuit abuse expert calls for more Vatican transparency in how it dealt with a prominent Jesuit artist

Jesuits reveal artist had been excommunicated for absolving woman for engaging in sexual activity with him

Pope Francis breaks down in tears while praying to Mary for peace in Ukraine

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Up next, the Vatican’s website showed a 404 error message (page not available) on and off for a few days last week, following the publication of America’s interview with Pope Francis in which the pope heavily criticized Russia, naming Putin several times, calling Russia the aggressor in the war against Ukraine, and naming two Russian minority groups – the largely Buddhist Buryati and the largely Muslim Chechens – as being particularly cruel in the war in Ukraine.

The Vatican Press Office issued a statement last week attributing the crash to “anomalous” attempts to access the site that it said did not all come from one country. On the podcast, Gerry explains what more he has learned about the hack. “What I do know from informed sources is that this was a highly sophisticated operation, not the effort of amateurs,” Gerry says. 

Colleen and Gerry also give an update on papal almoner Cardinal Konrad Krajewski’s new campaign to bring donated thermal shirts to Ukraine. Donations can be sent to: Elemosineria Apostolica, Cortile Sant’Egidio, 00120 Città del Vaticano.

Finally, Pope Francis’ visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan is back on. The pope will visit the two countries in late January and early February. For more background on peacemaking efforts in South Sudan, listen to “Inside the Vatican”’s interview with Elizabeth Boyle of Sant’Egidio here.

Links from the show:

Prominent Jesuit artist restricted from ministry after allegations of sexually abusing women religious

After postponing, Pope Francis has rescheduled his trip to Congo and ecumenical visit to South Sudan

Pope Francis postponed his trip to South Sudan. What does this mean for people living there?

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The interview was wide-ranging and included questions on political polarization, lack of trust in the U.S. bishops conference, the war in Ukraine, transparency on sexual abuse cases, women’s ordination, encouragement to Black Catholics, and discussion of the Vatican-China deal. Since its release, international media coverage has focused on the pope’s decision to single out two Russian minority groups as being “perhaps the cruelest” in the war against Ukraine.

On this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell and host Colleen Dulle analyze the pope’s comments on Ukraine, as well as those on political polarization, the U.S. bishops, and women’s ordination.

In the first part of the show, Gerry gives an inside look into what it was like to interview the pope, and Colleen shares some exciting news.

Links from the show:

Exclusive: Pope Francis discusses Ukraine, U.S. bishops and more

Russia protests Pope Francis’ comments on Ukraine made in America magazine interview

Gerard O’Connell: Ukraine, abortion, racism, women’s ordination: Highlights from America’s interview with Pope Francis

Kerry Weber: Behind the scenes: What it’s like to interview Pope Francis

The Gloria Purvis Podcast: Gloria Purvis and Father Matt Malone on what their interview with Pope Francis means for the U.S. church

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It’s an exciting time for America Media! We've transformed the organization under the leadership of Matt Malone, S.J. into a modern media entity that leads the conversation on faith and culture. There is no doubt that this transformation will continue at America under the leadership of Traug Keller, president and Father Sam Sawyer, SJ, 15th editor in chief. 

We're especially grateful to our digital subscribers, who can access all of our award-winning content. But subscriptions alone do not cover the cost to produce our magazine, videos and podcasts, so we are really dependent on fundraising to bridge that gap.

With Giving Tuesday upon us, we hope you will consider a tax-deductible gift of any size to support America Media. Visit our website and click the “Donate Now” button to join our media ministry, which enables us to continue producing Inside the Vatican. We truly could not continue to bring you these episodes without your support, so thank you, so much, for your consideration.

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Up first, the way Catholics calculate when to celebrate Easter could be changing.

This past Saturday, Nov. 19, Pope Francis met with Mar Awa III, Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, which is an Eastern Christian church based in Iraq. In the meeting, the pope took the opportunity to express his support for the idea that Eastern and Western churches should celebrate Easter on the same date—usually they’re about a week apart, with the Eastern Palm Sunday falling on the Western Easter.

Echoing Vatican II, Pope Francis said that he is willing to accept any proposal for a common date of Easter provided that the other churches that are not in communion with Rome agree.

Next, Pope Francis assigned a lay man and father of two as secretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life last week. Gleison De Paula Souza is the first layperson to serve as second-in-command in this dicastery; three of the four top positions in that office are now held by lay people.

Finally, on Nov. 22, Pope Francis overhauled the leadership of Caritas Internationalis, which is the church’s charity arm; it includes 162 charitable groups including Catholic Charities USA and Catholic Relief Services. The pope removed Caritas’ entire executive team after a review of the organization revealed management weaknesses that had damaged staff morale. Some current and former employees report bullying and favoritism within the organization’s Rome headquarters. A statement from the Vatican made clear that there was no financial mismanagement or sexual misconduct.

Links from the show:

Pope Francis says Catholics are ready for a common Easter date with the Assyrian Church

Pope Francis appoints a father of two to No. 2 spot at Vatican family office

Pope Francis fires top leadership of Caritas Internationalis after review found poor staff morale

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Gerry explains the significance of the meeting’s duration—about twice as long as most heads of state have with the pope—and its location. “It’s a message to be received in the apostolic palace,” Gerry says on the podcast. “It means that the pope wants this known publicly.”

Father Martin also discusses the pope’s endorsement of his latest book, Learning to Pray.

In the second half of the show, Gerry and Colleen dig into Pope Francis’ message for this year’s World Day of the Poor, and how the pope hopes that his initiatives for the day will trickle down to dioceses around the world.

Finally, the hosts give an update on the case of French Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, who despite publicly confessing to abusing a 14-year-old girl remains a cardinal with full privileges, including the ability to vote in a conclave. The Vatican now says it will investigate the cardinal after French prosecutors have finished their own investigation. Despite the confession, the cardinal has neither been removed nor suspended from ministry, although he admitted in his letter of confession that he would go on retreat to pray and meditate on his actions.

“I have been here long enough in the Vatican to see we get statements [that] say something to satisfy the public demand, but they don’t give the whole story,” Gerry tells Colleen. “So, I would not exclude that other things are happening behind the scenes [at the Vatican].”

Links from the show:

Pope Francis received Father James Martin in private audience for the second time

Pope Francis praises Father James Martin during audience with Vatican communicators (on Outreach, a publication of America Media)

Pope Francis on World Day of the Poor: Do not listen to ‘prophets of doom’ but instead ‘light candles of hope.’

Cardinal Ricard confessed to abusing a 14-year-old. What we know and what the Vatican will do next

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On “Inside the Vatican” this week, host Colleen Dulle and veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell explain what is known about the case. Cardinal Ricard was up to now a member of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican office tasked with investigating abuse cases, though it isn’t clear whether Cardinal Ricard himself ever investigated a case.

The French church is currently reeling from a series of major abuse revelations. First, a report released last fall looked into sexual abuse of minors in Catholic institutions and estimated that up to 330,000 minors had been abused since 1950. More recently, there’s been the case of Bishop Michel Santier, who retired as bishop of Creteil in 2020 citing health reasons. It was recently revealed that he was actually removed by the Vatican for “using his influence over two young adult men for sexual purposes” and abusing the sacrament of confession by holding “striptease confessions.” Colleen and Gerry discuss the lack of transparency in all these cases.

In the second half of the show, Gerry and Colleen discuss Pope Francis’ trip to Bahrain over the weekend, where he attended an interreligious gathering, the “Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Coexistence.” The hosts view the trip in the context of Pope Francis’ relationship with the Sunni Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, who also attended the meeting and with whom the pope wrote a milestone 2019 document on human fraternity.

Links from the show:

French cardinal admits to abusing teen girl 35 years ago

Pope Francis in Bahrain: What to know and expect

Pope Francis slams ‘childlike’ whims of powerful that start wars as Putin’s invasion of Ukraine rages on

In Bahrain, Pope Francis calls for full religious freedom and an end to the death penalty

Pope: ‘Every time a woman comes in to do a job in the Vatican, things get better’

Pope Francis: 'Three world wars in one century: be pacifists!' (Full press conference text)

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This week on “Inside the Vatican,” producer Ricardo da Silva, S.J., joins host Colleen Dulle and veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell for a roundtable discussion on what stood out in the synod document. Ricardo was struck by how the report presented feedback in the respondents’ words, including quotes from more than 70 countries, and how it raised issues that had previously been taboo. Gerry, on the other hand, thinks little was surprising in the report, and emphasizes how the document was to be read “with the eyes of the disciple.” Colleen describes how the report pulled no punches when discussing sexism in the church.

In the second part of the show, the hosts have a lively discussion on their differing views of the document, hashing out questions of what magisterial standing the document has, if any. Ricardo, a Jesuit priest, reflects on the significant questions that the synodal process raises for priests, after the document strongly criticized clericalism and pointed out low synod participation rates by priests. The three hosts together discuss the report’s section on liturgical reform—something that touches the life of every Catholic.

Links from the show:

Read the global synod report (Document for the Continental Phase)

Making the church more inclusive while staying true to teaching: Vatican releases synod’s synthesis document

Deep dive: The ‘Synod on Synodality’ — What’s done and what comes next?

I helped write the first global synod document. Here’s what we heard from Catholics around the world.

Pope Francis will be the first pope to visit Bahrain

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The Vatican released the full text of Cardinal Parolin’s speech two days later, which showed that the quote from the headline had been taken out of context. “They [the Vatican] didn’t comment on the headline or anything, but you didn't have to be a genius to understand that this was a direct response,” Gerry says on this week’s episode of “Inside the Vatican.”

Up next, Colleen and Gerry turn to the story of the Jesuit historian Peter Gumpel, who spent his long career shepherding saints’ causes through the Vatican’s canonization process. A few days after his death on Oct. 12, America ran a story by someone who had known Father Gumpel, who wrote: “Peter’s last name, Gumpel, was a pseudonym. He told me the family name he was born with—the family he was born into—was Hohenzollern, the royal dynasty of kings and princes, electors and emperors (1871-1918) who ruled all or parts of Germany and Romania beginning in the 11th century, a royal family that continues to this day.” Gerry also knew Father Gumpel well, and weighs in with his take on the Jesuit’s secret identity.

Finally, the hosts turn to the long-enduring mystery of the disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi, a 15-year-old girl who lived in the Vatican. The still-unsolved case has caught new attention thanks to a Netflix true-crime documentary series. Colleen gives an update on the series’ new revelations, and Gerry weighs in on what it’s been like watching the case unfold in Rome over several decades.

Links from the show:

Vatican cardinal tells EWTN: Catholic media must be in communion with pope

Full text of Cardinal Parolin’s speech

The final secret of the Vatican’s Jesuit saint maker

A deep dive into the secret archives of Pope Pius XII

‘Vatican Girl’: Netflix’s true-crime documentary on the Holy See’s 40-year-old missing person mystery

The Vatican and China renew agreement on appointing bishops for third time

Making the church more inclusive while staying true to teaching: Vatican releases synod’s synthesis document

I helped write the first global synod document. Here’s what we heard from Catholics around the world.

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This week on “Inside the Vatican,” veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell and host Colleen Dulle explain the pope’s reasoning behind this decision, and whether the extension of the synodal process makes this synod, as some have said in recent days, a type of “Vatican III.”

[Missed our deep dive episode on the Synod on Synodality? Listen here!]

The hosts also discuss what message Pope Francis is sending by extending the synod: Is it a sign he does not intend to resign, an effort to ensure synodality continues with future popes, or simply a declaration that becoming a “listening church” is one of his top priorities?

In the second part of the show, Colleen and Gerry discuss the pope’s new book, I Ask You in the Name of God. Ten Prayers for a Future of Hope. Colleen explains the papal speech on economics that the book is based on, and Gerry gives his takeaways from the volume. The hosts revisit the question of where books like these fall in the hierarchy of papal teachings.

After this show was recorded, America published a report by Kenneth Woodward on the secret identity of a Jesuit who shepherded more than 150 canonization causes through the church’s saint-making process. Read “The final secret of the Vatican’s Jesuit saint maker” here.

Links from the show:

Deep dive: The ‘Synod on Synodality’ — What’s done and what comes next?

Pope Francis’ 9 commandments for a just economy

WATCH: The Pope, the Environmental Crisis, and Frontline Leaders | The Letter: Laudato Si Film on YouTube

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“It was bigger than my window, unfortunately,” Ms. Harmon-Christian said, “so I did have to do some maneuvering.” The sign covers the back window of her Subaru and extends onto the door below.

And it worked: Ms. Harmon-Christian received emails from people who saw her driving around Atlanta. She was stopped at the gas station and even had a listening session with her mechanic, who had left the Catholic Church to become Evangelical.

Ms. Harmon-Christian’s listening work was not limited to those she encountered on the road. She has held listening sessions on Zoom, in cafés, outdoors with people experiencing homelessness, and even received a long letter from a prison inmate in Texas. Although she has not received confirmation that the results of her listening sessions were accepted by either her diocese or the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops—her 600-page report far exceeds each diocese’s 10-page limit—she has received messages of support from Vatican officials, who have encouraged her to continue her work.

So, why is the Vatican gathering all of this feedback from people like Ms. Harmon-Christian and others around the world?

For a new deep dive episode of “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell interviewed three officials in the Vatican’s synod office, along with Catholics like Ms. Harmon-Christian, who are holding listening sessions around the world. Colleen also spoke with someone who is more critical of the synod. All this to help explain the Vatican’s Synod on Synodality—what its puzzling name means and what it’s meant to accomplish.

Links from the show:

Gerard O’Connell | Exclusive: Cardinal Grech on drafting the first global synod synthesis—and what’s in store for phase 2

Gerard O’Connell | Cardinal Grech: The synod ‘needs time’ on the question of married priests

Colleen Dulle | Explainer: So, what exactly is a synod?

Colleen Dulle and Doug Girardot | We contacted every diocese in the U.S. about their synod plans. Here’s what we found.

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The Vatican has responded to the war so far by advocating peace and focusing on sending humanitarian aid. But the pope’s response has been criticized on the world stage for being too soft on Russia; for example, after he said that NATO had been “barking at Russia’s gate” before the invasion, or when he prayed for a Russian civilian killed by Ukrainian forces, who had in turn been used for Russian propaganda.

This week on Inside the Vatican, host Colleen Dulle interviews Joe Donnelly, the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See—President Biden’s representative to the Vatican. We talk about the anguish the pope is clearly feeling over Ukraine, and how Ambassador Donnelly navigates working with the Vatican, even when its approach and goals differ from those of the United States.

Links from the show:

Gerard O’Connell | Interview: U.S.-Vatican Ambassador Joe Donnelly on Ukraine, China and his meeting with Pope Francis

Colleen Dulle | Review: When popes play peacemaker (Review of God’s Diplomats)

Gerard O’Connell | Pope Francis makes dramatic appeal to Putin: Stop the war in Ukraine

Victor Gaetan | What critics of Pope Francis’ NATO comments don’t understand about Vatican diplomacy

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