Pope Francis met individually with ten world leaders at the G7 Summit. He also made history as the first pope to attend and deliver a speech at the gathering, where he urged delegates to prioritize ethics in artificial intelligence for the common good. Earlier that day, he had met with 100 international comedians at the Vatican. In this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” hosts Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell bring you inside both events. Father James Martin, S.J., joins them to discuss the...

U.S. Cardinal Robert McElroy urged U.S. Catholics to be “more vigorous advocates” in support of Pope Francis’ calls for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, in an interview with America’s veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell. On this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and host Colleen Dulle discuss Gerry’s interview with the cardinal and give an overview of a busy week for the pope. On Friday, he will meet with a group of comedians including Whoopi Goldberg and Stephen Colbert, then...

Pope Francis hosted the inaugural World Children’s Day, a Vatican initiative held from May 25 to 26 at Rome’s Olympic Stadium and St. Peter’s Square. The event drew around 50,000 children spanning more than 100 nationalities and featured conversations between the young participants and Pope Francis. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and actor Roberto Benigni were also in attendance. With the event, the pope hoped to raise awareness about the plight of children caught in war, promote...

Pope Francis is under fire for reportedly using a homophobic slur during a closed-door meeting with Italian bishops at the Vatican on May 20. The incident occurred during a Q&A session where seminary admissions policy for gay candidates was discussed. Despite a swift apology from the Vatican on the pope’s behalf, the incident has led many to question whether there are limits to what had hitherto been perceived as Pope Francis’ welcoming and inclusive stance toward L.G.B.T.Q....

A day after news broke that Pope Francis had allegedly used a derogatory word about gay men applying to seminaries in a closed-door conversation with Italian bishops, the Vatican has issued an official response: “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...

In his 60 Minutes interview with Norah O’Donnell, Pope Francis said a categorical “no” to women deacons with Holy Orders. In this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell unpack the implications of the pope’s comment and discuss the broader highlights of the interview, including Pope Francis’ thoughts on his U.S. critics, antisemitism, and the hope he finds in humanity. In the second part of the show, Colleen and Gerry dig into the...

On May 9, Pope Francis issued a papal bull proclaiming the 2025 Jubilee Year. The document, resembling a social encyclical, urges nations to grant amnesty to prisoners and calls on the world’s most powerful entities to forgive the debts of poor countries. Can Pope Francis’ calls match the impact of John Paul II’s in the Jubilee of 2000? Later, Colleen shares her review of reports from a global synod meeting of 200 parish priests, held just outside Rome, and suggests that this meeting gave...

As the war in the Holy Land continues to escalate and protests break out on university campuses around the world, Pope Francis persists in his calls for peace. But is it possible? Where does peace begin? 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...

Pope Francis made history by becoming the first pope to attend the iconic Venice Biennale cultural festival in its 128-year history. After a Vatican-sponsored exhibition at a women’s prison, he met with inmates and staff before celebrating Mass in St. Mark’s Square. Looking ahead, host Colleen Dulle and veteran Vatican reporter Gerard O’Connell preview the pope’s forthcoming visits to Italian cities, including his expected appearance at the G7 summit in Puglia next month. Pope Francis will...

“A negotiated peace is better than a war without end,” said Pope Francis in an exclusive interview with CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell, marking the first such interview for network television in the U.S. Amid conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, the pope advocated for global peace. The full interview airs May 19 on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” covering topics such as child welfare, women’s roles, L.G.B.T.Q. ministry and speculation on the pope’s resignation. Recording “Inside the Vatican” live from...

After being removed by Pope Francis as head of the papal household, evicted from his Vatican apartment and returned to his native diocese in Germany, Archbishop Georg Gänswein is reportedly set to be appointed as a nuncio, or papal ambassador. On this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell and host Colleen Dulle analyze the reported forthcoming appointment of Benedict XVI’s longtime secretary and how it fits into the archbishop’s often publicly...

The Vatican released a document on human dignity this week with sections denouncing what it calls “gender theory” and “sex change.” 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...

This week, the Vatican issued a new document on human dignity. Although it primarily reiterates established Catholic teaching on various topics, it has already become controversial because of its condemnations of gender theory, sex change efforts, and surrogate motherhood. On this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell analyze the document. Since much of what is covered in the document has already been addressed by the Vatican,...

Catholics from the pews to the pope are worried about young priests. The October 2023 synod recommended a number of changes to the seminary system, but to understand them, one first needs to understand how priests are formed, and how that process has undergone major changes in recent years. In this special “Deep Dive” episode of “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle speaks to seminarians, rectors (seminaries’ top administrators), professors and psychologists from across North America to...

As Catholics around the world observe Holy Week, the hosts of “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell, take a look at Pope Francis’ Holy Week plans. In the second half of the show, Gerry and Colleen discuss Gerry’s recent interview with Vatican Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Gallagher. Colleen also gives updates on a recent meeting between the German bishops and Vatican officials over the controversial “Synodal Way” project, and on Pope Francis’ Holy...

The Vatican announced the creation of 10 study groups to focus on themes that arose at last October’s Synod on Synodality, an announcement that prompted mixed reactions: Are the groups a way to “kick the can down the road,” on controversial questions like the possibility of ordaining women deacons, asks host Colleen Dulle, or are they the beginning of a new, synodal way of making decisions in the church? This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen and Gerry discuss the study groups along with...

Over the weekend, Pope Francis was strongly criticized by Ukrainian civil and church leaders for a comment he made in an interview, saying that Ukraine needed “the courage of the white flag” to negotiate with Russia for peace. On this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell and host Colleen Dulle examine the pope’s comments, give an update on the Holy See’s diplomatic push for peace both in Ukraine and Gaza, and talk about what’s next for Pope Francis...

Anglican Bishop Jo Bailey Wells spoke at a meeting of Pope Francis’ Council of Cardinal Advisors on Feb. 5., about her own experience as an ordained woman in the Church of England and the journey her church  took before reaching the decision to ordain women. She was one of two women to present at the meeting, the second in a series of encounters with women theologians that Sister Linda Pocher, F.M.A., is arranging for the pope’s cabinet, aimed at looking more deeply at the role of women in...

Five years after Pope Francis convened a global summit on sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, two previously anonymous alleged victims of Father Marko Rupnik decided to speak out about their experiences. 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...

This week, the Vatican is relatively quiet, as Pope Francis and the top Roman Curia officials make their Lenten retreat. As he has done since 2021, the pope has asked each official to make their retreat individually, centered on private prayer and spiritual exercises. Austen Ivereigh’s latest book, First Belong to God: On Retreat with Pope Francis, helps all people of faith do just that. The author joins host Colleen Dulle this week to discuss his proposed retreat, as well as his experience...

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” producer Ricardo da Silva—filling in for host Colleen Dulle—joins veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell to discuss what Gerry is calling “Argentine Weekend” at the Vatican. This past weekend brought the canonization of Argentina’s first woman saint, along with a surprisingly warm meeting between the pope and Argentina’s new, ultraconservative president Javier Milei. The hosts also debrief the story of “Mama Antula,” the new Argentine saint Pope...

In this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell recap the recent Anglican-Catholic summit that took place in Rome and Canterbury, England. Gerry explains what he sees as the major shift in Anglican-Catholic dialogue from theological discussion to concrete action under Pope Francis. In part two of the episode, Colleen and Gerry analyze a letter Pope Francis sent to Israeli Jews. Why did the pope choose to address a religious group...

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” veteran correspondent Gerard O’Connell and host Colleen Dulle discuss Pope Francis’ recent interview with the Italian daily newspaper La Stampa. There, the pope opens up about his feelings of loneliness and once more reaffirms his defense of the Vatican’s declaration approving blessings for couples in “irregular situations.” In the second half of the show, Colleen and Gerry explore the appointment of three new bishops and the approval of a new diocese in...

In this episode, Gerard O’Connell and Colleen Dulle discuss Pope Francis’ recent meeting with journalists, exploring his views on journalism and comparing them to past popes. They also parse the pope’s comments about declining birth rates across much of Europe and address the politicization of the issue and his call for global economic reforms that promote and support the well-being of young families. Find the full episode page and links for further reading here. Please support this podcast...