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 also reflect on the first-ever visit of a pope to the Mediterranean island of Corsica on Sunday, Dec. 5, where he participated in a conference on popular religiosity and celebrated Mass for the island’s predominantly Catholic community.

Links for further reading from this episode

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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. 

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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 end international wars.  

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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 homeless people in St. Peter’s Square and a moving homily at Sunday Mass.

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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. 

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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 show notes and links for further reading here.

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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 Document will be posted here

Father James Martin: The conversions I had at the synod

To teach faith and morals in a diverse church, we must recognize the doctrinal authority of bishops’ conferences

Pope Francis calls for a ‘church that gets its hands dirty’ at synod’s closing Mass

Synod Diary: The synod’s final document didn’t solve everything—and I’m grateful for that.

Jesuitical Podcast: Cardinal Tobin on the synod and the future of women deacons

Women Deacons and the Catholic Church: A Video Explainer

Pope Francis says he will not write his own exhortation on synod, publishes members’ final document

Vatican releases audio of meeting on women deacons between Cardinal Fernández and synod members

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Inside the Vatican's synod coverage is sponsored in part by the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University.

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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 happened during the synod, as well as the document-drafting process and Dr. Clifford’s reactions to the final decisions the synod took.

More from this episode:

- Pope Francis says he will not write his own exhortation on synod, publishes members’ final document

- To teach faith and morals in a diverse church, we must recognize the doctrinal authority of bishops’ conferences

- Vatican releases audio of meeting on women deacons between Cardinal Fernández and synod members

- Pope Francis calls for a ‘church that gets its hands dirty’ at synod’s closing Mass

- Synodality—and ‘controversial’ issues—are here to stay: Takeaways from the Synod’s final document

- Synod Diary: The synod’s final document didn’t solve everything—and I’m grateful for that.

- Jesuitical Podcast: Cardinal Tobin on the synod and the future of women deacons

- Deep Dive: What just happened at the Synod on Synodality?

- Deep Dive: Why Pope Francis is worried about seminaries and young priests with ‘authoritarian attitudes’

Please support our coverage of the Synod on Synodality by becoming a digital subscriber to America Media.

Inside the Vatican's synod coverage is sponsored in part by the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University.

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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 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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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, including the possibility of women deacons.

The team examines the “palpable outrage” reported by delegates during their scheduled meeting, where they expected to engage with the Vatican's doctrinal chief and study group members. Instead, they were met by staffers from his office. This unexpected turn not only frustrated delegates but raises serious questions about the real commitment to synodality in the church’s highest ranks.

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