Inside The Vatican

On Mar. 20, Pope Francis said in his written Sunday Angelus address that he was experiencing Lent as a time of “healing” in his body and his soul. In this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell walk us through the pontiff’s recovery, including “slight improvements” in his speech. In the second half of the show, Colleen and Gerry discu...

Pope Francis has returned home after 38 days in the hospital, which included two life-threatening respiratory crises. In this episode, host Colleen Dulle and veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell discuss a revealing new interview that the pope’s doctor gave to an Italian newspaper. Gerry describes the scene at the Gemelli Hospital when the pope made his first public appearance on March 23...

Pope Francis’ doctors announced at a press conference early this evening Rome time, March 22, that he will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow, March 23, following a six week hospitalization for double pneumonia, the longest of his pontificate. The pope will give a quick wave from his balcony at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital tomorrow, then return to the Vatican. The doctors said he will have to obs...

Buckingham Palace announced a meeting between King Charles III, Queen Camilla and Pope Francis at the Vatican on April 8. In this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen and Gerry discuss whether the pope is on track to leave Gemelli Hospital in time for the royal visit, noting his gradual health improvements and the absence of setbacks since March 3. In the second part of the show, Francis appea...

Pope Francis is no longer in imminent danger, according to the Vatican and doctors at Rome's Gemelli Hospital, where he has now entered his fourth week of treatment. In this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Ricardo da Silva, S.J., speaks with veteran Vatican reporter Gerard O’Connell to provide the latest updates on Pope Francis’ slow but steady recovery.  In the second half, Ricardo and Gerry dis...

After 21 days of hospitalization, Pope Francis sent a brief message of thanks that was played for those praying for him in St. Peter's Square the night of March 6. Read Gerard O'Connell's report on the message here. Visit americamagazine.org for the latest on Pope Francis' health. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pope Francis has been hospitalized for nearly three weeks with double pneumonia. In this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Ricardo da Silva, S.J., speaks with veteran Vatican reporter Gerard O’Connell about the pope’s health, ongoing work, and the misinformation surrounding his condition. While stable, the pope’s condition remains serious, and his prognosis is “guarded,” meaning he is not yet out o...

Earlier today, March 3, the Vatican announced that the Pope experienced two acute breathing crises caused by a significant buildup of mucus in his airways, linked to his ongoing pneumonia infection. Doctors performed two bronchoscopies to clear the mucus and resumed non-invasive ventilation with an oxygen mask to assist his breathing, without the need for intubation. His prognosis remains guarded,...

In this special update, we report on a concerning turn in Pope Francis’ health. Earlier today, Feb. 28, the Vatican announced that the pope suffered a severe “bronchial spasm,” causing vomiting and inhalation complications that worsened his breathing. Doctors cleared his airways and stabilized him, but informed sources tell America he is back in a “critical state.” His prognosis remains guarded, a...

Pope Francis remains in critical condition after being hospitalized for bronchitis that developed into double pneumonia. While his condition is serious, there are signs of improvement, including progress in his lab results and increased mobility. However, his doctors caution that he is not out of danger, and his condition could still worsen. In this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen Dulle a...

The Vatican told the press this evening, Saturday, Feb. 22, that Pope Francis experienced what it called a “prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis”—essentially, the symptoms of a severe asthma attack—requiring him to receive high-flow oxygen. 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...

Pope Francis remains hospitalized at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital since his admission on Feb. 14 with a respiratory infection, later confirmed as double pneumonia. He is stable, without fever, and in good spirits. In this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell discuss his diagnosis, treatment, and how the week has unfolded for the pope.  In the second half of the show, Col...

Pope Francis was admitted to the hospital on Friday, February 14 for a respiratory infection that the pope referred to as bronchitis. He underwent tests and rested over the weekend, skipping his Sunday Angelus for the first time in 12 years. The Vatican said his condition was improving on Saturday and Sunday and that the fever he entered the hospital with had gone away. A statement from the Vatica...

The Vatican released the long-awaited document Antiqua et Nova ("Ancient and New") on artificial intelligence on Jan. 28. It explores the relationship between human and artificial intelligence, emphasizing that humans cannot be replaced by AI, which must always serve the common good. Bishop Paul Tighe, secretary for the culture section of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, joins Inside the V...

This morning, Feb. 11, Pope Francis sent a letter to the U.S. bishops denouncing President Trump’s mass deportation program, which has already deported thousands of people and sparked fear in the migrant community. Read more at americamagazine.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Monday, Feb. 3, the Vatican hosted its first International Summit on Children’s Rights, which Pope Francis called an “open observatory” for children’s protection in an attempt to showcase “the reality of childhood throughout the world, a childhood that is unfortunately often hurt, exploited, denied.” In this week’s episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen and Gerry dive into the goals of the su...

This special deep dive episode recaps the 2024 VaticanRoman meeting of the Synod on Synodality, featuring interviews with five synod delegates about the tensions and unexpected breakthroughs in the Synod hall—and outside it. The episode brings listeners inside Synod meetings with archival audio, and parses the synod’s final document, which Pope Francis adopted as part of the church’s magisterial t...

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., filling in for Colleen Dulle, speaks with Gerard O’Connell about Pope Francis’ recent interview on Italian TV. In the interview, given on the eve of the U.S. presidential inauguration, the pope announced that by March he would appoint a woman to lead the Vatican City-State government. He also criticized President Donald Trump’s mass d...

The Vatican has approved new guidelines from the Italian Bishops’ Conference, allowing gay men to enter seminaries if they commit to celibacy, as expected of all seminarians regardless of sexual orientation. This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell discuss whether this signals a shift in admissions policy and the potential implications for seminarians worldwide. They a...

Pope Francis has appointed Cardinal Robert McElroy as archbishop of Washington and Sister Simona Brambilla, an Italian Consolata missionary, as prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. Her appointment makes her the first woman to lead a major Vatican department and to have a cardinal as her deputy. On this week's episode of “Inside the Vatican,”...

The Catholic Jubilee Year, established in 1300 by Pope Boniface VIII, is rooted in the Jewish tradition of releasing prisoners, forgiving debts, and restoring harmony every 50 years. During the Jubilee, Catholics can receive plenary indulgences, which remove the temporal punishment for sins that have already been forgiven and can be offered for others, such as those in purgatory. In this episode o...

On his 88th birthday, Pope Francis revealed he survived two assassination attempts during his 2021 apostolic visit to Iraq, a journey already recognized as high-risk. In this episode of Inside the Vatican, Colleen and Gerry examine this shocking disclosure and other insights from his forthcoming autobiography, Hope, with excerpts released to mark the occasion ahead of its January publication. They...

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell take a closer look at  Pope Francis’ latest consistory, which created 21 new cardinals on Saturday, Dec. 7. In the second half of the show, they discuss the pope’s call for an end to the death penalty in the United States and for ceasefires in the world’s wars before Christmas.  Please support this podcast by becoming a digital...

On this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell investigate Pope Francis’ new letter on the final synod document, his address to experts of the International Theological Commission on developing a theology of synodality and Gerry’s interviews with Archbishops Charles Scicluna and Timothy Costelloe. They also unpack Pope Francis’ hope to leverage the 2025 Jubilee Year to...

In this week’s episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell discuss Hope Never Disappoints: Pilgrims Toward a Better World, a new book being released this week in which Pope Francis calls for the investigation of allegations of genocide in Gaza. They also unpack the Pope’s celebration of the eighth World Day of the Poor on Sunday, Nov. 17 with a lunch shared by 1300 poor and...