Inside The Vatican

Inside the Vatican’s Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell unpack the Vatican’s response to the re-election of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States. They also cover several stories, including a new AI model of St. Peter’s Basilica developed in part by Microsoft, new Vatican appointments and a slate of Jesuit news out of Rome.  Please support this podcast by becoming a digital subsc...

On this week’s episode, host Colleen Dulle interviews Catholic author and academic Michael W. Higgins to discuss his new book, “The Jesuit Disruptor: A Personal Portrait of Pope Francis.” They unpack the pope’s responses to scandals, his reform efforts, and his spiritual and intellectual formation—all of which have profoundly shaped his moral voice at the helm of an evolving church.  Find full sho...

Gerry and Colleen unpack their takeaways from the 2024 Synod on Synodality’s final document  and from the 2021-2024 synodal process as a whole. In the second part of the show, Colleen interviews Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark about what the experience at the synod means for the U.S. church and how bishops exercise authority. More from this episode: An English translation of the Synod's Final D...

On this week’s episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen Dulle and Ricardo da Silva, S.J., interview Dr. Catherine Clifford, a professor of systematic and historical theology at St. Paul’s University in Ottawa, Canada, who served as an elected member of the 2024 Synod on Synodality’s drafting commission for the final document They discuss the meetings on the discernment of women deacons that happen...

On the eve of the highly anticipated publication of the final report for the Synod on Synodality, Inside the Vatican host Colleen Dulle and Jesuitical host Zac Davis speak with their colleague and synod delegate James Martin, S.J., about his experience this month inside the second assembly. Zac and Colleen discuss: - The atmosphere at this year’s synod assembly compared to last year’s - How contro...

The “Inside the Vatican” team is together in Rome—live and in person—for the Synod on Synodality’s final week. Host Colleen Dulle, veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O'Connell and producer Ricardo da Silva, S.J., discuss last week’s most contentious story out of the Vatican: the scheduled meeting of Study Group 5, which is considering ways to increase participation for women in the Church, inclu...

On this week’s episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen Dulle and Ricardo da Silva, S.J., are joined by Rev. Matthew Laferty, a Methodist minister who works for the World Methodist Council and represents the Methodist church’s relationship with the Catholic Church and the Vatican. They discuss how the Catholic Church’s current Synod on Synodality is inspiring deeper conversations and greater unity...

The 2024 session of the Synod on Synodality has reached its halfway point. In this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” producer Ricardo da Silva, S.J., reporting from Rome, provides an overview of the second week of the synod. Then, joined by Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell, the two explore some central themes that are beginning to emerge from this session of the synod, including the growing r...

On this week’s episode of “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle is joined by Laurence Gien, a survivor of clerical sexual abuse who spoke about his experience as part of a penitential celebration in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on Oct. 1, 2024. Calling for healing for survivors and administrative urgency from the church to address their pain, Mr. Gien saw his testimony as an important sy...

The second session of the Synod on Synodality began with a penitential liturgy at St. Peter's Basilica, where a victim of child sexual abuse shared his story for the first time during an official liturgy there. This underscored the church's commitment to naming its sins, greater transparency and accountability. On this episode of Inside the Vatican, host Colleen Dulle and veteran Vatican correspon...

Colleen Dulle and Gerard O'Connell tackle your burning questions in a special mailbag episode of “Inside the Vatican.” Tune in for their answers on issues that matter to ordinary Catholics. What real changes can we expect from the Synod on Synodality? Why won’t Pope Francis travel to Paris for the grand reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral this December? And how is the Vatican responding to the rapid...

This episode of “Inside the Vatican” was originally slated to be our mailbag Q. and A. episode, but with so much news, Gerry and Colleen are focusing this week on the most newsworthy moments from Pope Francis’ visit to Belgium. Sexual abuse was a main issue going into this visit; what was less expected were the criticisms the pope faced on the role of women in the church and society. In the second...

Among the youngest people in a room of mostly bishops, Julia Oseka and José Manuel De Urquidi were in the first group of lay voting members at a synod, as delegates to the Synod on Synodality held at the Vatican last year. In an episode of “Inside the Vatican” recorded last month, José and Julia join host Colleen Dulle for an interview about their experience at the synod: a month of deep listening...

On Sept. 19, the Vatican officially recognized Medjugorje as a place of pilgrimage and popular piety, stopping short of confirming the supernatural origin of the apparitions. The next day, Pope Francis, in a fiery speech to global grassroots organizers, criticized the wealthy for obstructing social justice and advocated for higher taxes on billionaires, an end to sports betting, and a universal ba...

Pope Francis’ 12-day Southeast Asia visit ended in striking contrast to its start, reports veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell. Singapore’s relatively empty streets upon his arrival gave way to 55,000 supporters in the stadium for his final Mass, where he took extra time to greet and bless children. On the flight back to Rome, resuming his now-anticipated press conferences, Pope Francis...

Pope Francis continues his longest international visit to date: an almost-two-week tour of Southeast Asia and Oceania. Veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell reports live from Dili, the capital city of Timor Leste, sharing insights into the pope’s historic visit to Papua New Guinea and Timor Leste—where nearly half of the country’s population gathered to celebrate Mass with him—and preview...

This week, Pope Francis embarked on the longest journey of his pontificate: A two-week trip across Southeast Asia and Oceania. In the season premiere of ‘Inside the Vatican,’ veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell reports from Jakarta, Indonesia, on how the visit is progressing and what lies ahead as the pope travels to Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste, and Singapore. Find links for further r...

The Vatican declared Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò guilty of schism and excommunicated on July 4. For anyone who has followed the archbishop’s public statements over the past few years, the decision was anything but a surprise. Still, no one could have predicted that this Vatican diplomat with more than 40 years of service would fall so precipitously from favor. In this special deep dive episode o...

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò faces a Vatican trial for schism that is likely to end quickly. In this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell and host Colleen Dulle explain the charges against the Vatican’s former nuncio to the U.S., and what happens next in his extrajudicial disciplinary process. Later, Colleen shares with Gerry what happened when she asked...

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 Gera...

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 F...

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 e...

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 b...

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 o...

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,...