Inside The Vatican

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and I update you on the resignation of the head of Vatican security, Commander Domenico Giani, who was nicknamed “the pope’s guardian angel.” Mr. Giani stepped down from his position after he was unable to identify who leaked Vatican security photos of the five employees who were suspended as part of a financial investigation last week. On the podcast, we e...

Last week, Vatican police raided five of the Vatican’s top offices as part of a financial investigation. On this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and I break down what we know and what questions remain about this raid—the first of its kind to have been made public by the Vatican.   Next up, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Pope Francis delivered a strong message about loyalty to the pope to th...

On this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and I discuss our colleague James Martin, S.J.’s meeting with Pope Francis. It was the pair’s first extended conversation, though Pope Francis is familiar with Father Martin’s work and read his book on LGBT Catholics, Building a Bridge. Up next, the first new sculpture in 400 years was unveiled in St. Peter’s Square on September 29. Titled “Angels Una...

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and I take a look at who has been invited to the synod on the Amazon region. Who decides who goes to a synod, and what kinds of people do they look for? We talk about several of the high-profile guests and the viewpoints they will bring to the synod hall next month. Next up, we examine some of the plans that the German bishops are making for a national “syn...

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and I discuss new comments by the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Arturo Sosa, about Pope Francis’ critics. “The attacks against Pope Francis in the church today,” Father Sosa said, are “a fight between those who want the church dreamed of by the Second Vatican Council and those who do not want this.” Next, Archbishop Bernard Hebda of Minneapolis-...

This week’s “Inside the Vatican” is all about Pope Francis’ trip to sub-Saharan Africa. First, Gerry will give us some context on the three nations the pope visited: Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius. What sets these nations apart? Then, we’ll talk about what Pope Francis’ goals were for this visit: what issues and people he wanted to highlight, and why. Finally, Gerry and I will unpack the pop...

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and I update you on who Pope Francis has chosen to make cardinals next month. The surprise announcement came after the pope was stuck in an elevator for 25 minutes! In this episode, we break down who has been chosen for a red hat, and what these selections tell us about the pope’s priorities. Next, we talk about the fires that have raged in the Amazon rainf...

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” we’ll talk about the pope’s address to a group of theologians in Naples, which included a call for online learning opportunities for refugees who want to study theology. Then, we’ll update you on Cardinal Pell’s appeal case in Australia, and what awaits him after a decision is made. What effect will the civil court’s decision have on his church investigation?  Ne...

This week on Inside the Vatican, we talk about the U.S. bishops’ new resolutions on sexual abuse. How does the USCCB compare to other bishops conferences around the world? Then, we take a look at a new document prepared for the synod on the Amazon region, that officially introduces the possibility of ordaining married men. What are the implications for the rest of the church? And, what other findi...

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and I unpack a the most comprehensive Vatican document on gender identity yet. The document, which was released by the Congregation for Education, seeks to address what it calls “an educational crisis” surrounding sexuality and gender. Why is it so important? And what have transgender Catholics in the United States said about it? Then, we htalk about what’s...

Introducing the Jesuitical podcast from America Media. This week, while Colleen and Gerry are out, the Jesuitical hosts interview Hans Zollner, S.J. Father Zollner has dedicated his life to protecting children from the horrific crime of sexual abuse. A psychologist and Jesuit priest, he has guided the church’s efforts to bring healing to survivors and to prevent such abuse from happening again. Fa...

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and I discuss the first four women to be named to the Vatican’s office for synods. We talk about who these women are, how women’s involvement in Vatican leadership is changing, and what positions may be opened to women next. Then, we unpack the most recent developments in the case of former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. After the Archdiocese of New York foun...

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and I unpack a recent confrontation between the Italian bishops and the pope, which came after the bishops failed to implement the pope’s 2015 annulment reforms. We talk about what those reforms were, and what this tells us about the way the Vatican is able to enforce change. Then, we talk economics. Whenever Pope Francis discusses the economy, it sets off...

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and I explain why the papal almoner climbed down a manhole this weekend to illegally restore electricity to 450 homeless people squatting in a building in Rome. We also explain who the papal almoner is, and how the job has changed under Pope Francis. Last week, the pope met with the group of women religious who first asked him about ordaining women to the d...

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and I talk about three stories from Pope Francis’ trip to Bulgaria and North Macedonia. We’ll talk about what he did on that trip, as well as two stories he commented on during a press conference aboard the papal plane. The first of those is the death of “living saint” Jean Vanier, who founded L’arche, the communities where people with abilities and disabil...

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and I update you on the situation in Sri Lanka following a series of explosions in churches and hotels there on Easter Sunday. Then, we’ll talk about the new editorial board of Women Church World. Will the new editor in charge have more freedom? And finally, we’ll talk through some big reforms Pope Francis has planned for the Roman Curia. What is a super di...

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and I talk briefly about the horrific fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Then, we’ll update you on Pope Francis kissing the feet of South Sudanese leaders, and the importance of gestures like this one. We’ll also talk about a new letter from Pope Emeritus Benedict that addressed the sexual abuse crisis. We go through some of the questions that journalis...

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerard O’Connell and I update you on Cardinal Sarah’s recent comments on migrants, which strike a different tone from what we’ve come to expect from Pope Francis. We also discuss why Pope Francis prefers to have advisors who disagree with him on some issues. Then, Gerry and I will tell you about an international human rights delegation that visited the Vatican as...

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerard O’Connell and I take a look at the joint appeal Pope Francis signed with King Mohammed VI of Morocco to keep the city of Jerusalem and its holy sites open to people of all faiths. Then, we unpack some of our main takeaways from Pope Francis’ new apostolic exhortation on young people, “Christus Vivit.” We’ll also look at some criticism of the document and d...

On the last episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry O’Connell and I brought you an interview with Lucetta Scaraffia, the editor of Women Church World, a monthly magazine that comes out with the Vatican’s daily newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano. On Tuesday, March 26, she and the entire staff of Women Church World resigned in protest of what they saw as attempts by the new editor of the Osservatore Rom...

Gerry’s out this week, so instead of following our usual format, this week we’re breaking out of the weekly news cycle to bring you an interview about a slow change that’s beginning for some really important people in the Vatican: Women. Lucetta Scaraffia is the editor of Women Church World. Women Church World is the monthly magazine that comes as an insert in the Vatican’s newspaper. Gerry and I...

This week, we’ll update you on Cardinal Pell and several other high-profile cases of abuse. We’ll also talk about Pope Francis’ sixth anniversary as pope. Cardinal Pell was sentenced to six years in prison. He’ll be eligible for parole in three years and eight months, and he plans to appeal the ruling altogether in June. We'll look at his legacy as a reformer of Vatican finances as well as his rec...

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry O’Connell and I update you on what has been happening since the sexual abuse summit. First, we take a look at the handbook that the Vatican is putting together on how to handle cases of sexual abuse, and how to put the proper structures in place in each diocese. Gerry and I also examine why Pope Francis is opting for a slower pace of reform—and whether this...

We talk a lot on this show about the church’s sexual abuse crisis, and while Gerry and I try to break down what’s new, we don’t often get to talk about the problems that are at the root of this scandal—or how hearing these stories over and over affects our own faith. Thankfully, there’s a new podcast from America Media that explores all of these questions. It’s called “Deliver Us.” Its host, Maggi...

This week on “Inside the Vatican” Gerry and I are in Rome covering the sexual abuse summit. So this week’s episode might sound a little different—you’ll hear the sounds of Rome, and some of the interviews that Gerry and I have been doing while we’re here. We’ll talk about the surprises that came out of Pope Francis’ opening address to the summit, what happened on Thursday and what we can expect fr...