Inside The Vatican

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Inside The Vatican episodes

October 05 ‘Amoris Laetitia’ at 10: The history, tensions and legacy
In this week’s episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Pope Francis biographer Austen Ivereigh and America executive producer Sebastian Gomes join Colleen Dulle to discuss this week’s Vatican meeting on “Amoris Laetitia,” ten years after Pope Francis published his controversial exhortation on marriage and the family. Austen and Sebastian recap the tense 2014 and 2015 synods on the family, what Pope Francis decided in Amoris Laetitia and what is to be discussed at a Vatican meeting on the document to be held Oct. 7-14 for the heads of the world’s conferences of bishops.
Chapters:
00:00 10 years after Amoris Laetitia
2:09 Pope Francis calls the Synod on the family
11:30 What was at stake?
14:50 Two temptations in the Synod
19:26 Overcoming tensions and polarization
21:50 Divorced and remarried Catholics
27:56 Challenges facing families
30:30 What does Amoris Laetitia say?
37:54 Access to the Sacraments?
40:39 A controversial document
42:44 Implementing Amoris Laetitia
44:22 Pope Leo wants to discuss it
Links:
Bishops are meeting at the Vatican next week to discuss ‘Amoris Laetitia.’ Here’s what you need to know.
Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future by Pope Francis and Austen Ivereigh
Communion for the divorced and remarried, papal critics and family life: Pope Francis’ ‘Amoris Laetitia’ at 5 years
Sign up for our new newsletter, Vatican Notebook⁠! https://www.americamagazine.org/sign-up-for-vatican-notebook-email-newsletter
Follow Colleen on Instagram: @colleendulle
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59 min
October 01French Catholicism Reborn? What happened on Pope Leo’s visit to France (and why it matters for all of us)
This week on Jesuitical, Colleen Dulle joins hosts Zac Davis and Sebasian Gomes to discuss Pope Leo’s recent visit to France, including his messages on assisted dying, European identity and the role of the Catholic Church in a secular country. Colleen also reflects on her experience of traveling with the pope for the first time.

Sign up for Colleen’s newsletter, Vatican Notebook!

Chapters:
00:00 First time on the papal plane!
4:02 Why Pope Leo went to France
6:45 Catholic revival?
9:43 Secularity in France
14:02 Pro-life issues in France
17:57 Is Europe a "Christian" culture?
24:55 Pope meets abuse victims
34:08 Liturgy and division
Links:
Pope Leo’s trip to France won’t be a victory lap—and that’s a good thing.

Vatican Notebook: Pope Leo navigates tensions between secularism and Catholic history on France visit

‘More than a monument’: Pope Leo’s speech at the newly renovated Notre-Dame

Pope Leo draws 800,000 to Mass in the heart of Paris

Vatican Notebook: Pope Leo addresses French conversion boom, warns against complacency

Pope speaks out against French assisted-dying and abortion laws in Lourdes visit

Mother: Pope Leo’s blessing of special-needs daughter recognizes ‘segment of humanity often set aside’

Pope Leo meets with survivors of abuse in Lourdes

Pope Leo: Europe must return to path of dialogue, not military buildup

Pope Leo is not ‘in panic mode’ about an A.I. catastrophe, but ‘we can’t just sit back’ and do nothing
You can sign up for Colleen's 'Vatican Notebook' newsletter here: https://www.americamagazine.org/sign-up-for-vatican-notebook-email-newsletter
Follow Colleen on Instagram: @colleendulle
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46 min
September 25What to expect from Pope Leo’s trip to France
In this week’s episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and Colleen preview Pope Leo XIV’s visit to France, set for Sept. 25-28. The two unpack Pope Leo’s itinerary for the trip, give context for the political situation in the country and discuss what messages the pope may send to both secular and ecclesial authorities in a country and church that are being reshaped by the arrival of newcomers.

Sign up for our new newsletter, Vatican Notebook!

Chapters:
00:00 News: Pope Leo to visit Latin America
2:12 Background on Pope Leo's trip to France
11:07 The EU, war, and multilateralism
15:19 The pope's diplomatic balancing act
18:20 A religious spring in France?
24:00 Scandals, wounds and reconciliation
29:20 Who the pope is meeting

Links:
Pope Leo XIV will meet with the French abuse survivors as critics demand action

As Pope Leo prepares to visit France, can its ‘Catholic moment’ become a lasting revival?
Follow Gerry on X: @gerryorome
Follow Colleen on Instagram: @colleendulle
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38 min
September 18 ‘Baby Bishops School’: How the Vatican trains new bishops
In this week’s episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and Colleen discuss the “birthday gifts” Pope Leo XIV gave to the Vatican on his 71st birthday: an expansion of the Vatican Library and archives and the repeal of Covid-era salary cuts. The hosts explain Vatican salaries and what has changed financially for the Holy See since the pandemic.
In the second part of the show, Colleen and Gerry give a primer on “Baby Bishops’ School,” the annual training for newly-ordained bishops that recently concluded in Rome.

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:42 Pope Leo repeals Covid-era salary cuts
4:52 How Vatican employees are compensated
7:52 The Vatican’s financial recovery since 2024
10:39 Vatican finances under Pope Leo
15:06 Vatican Library and archive expansion
18:33 Baby Bishops’ School explained
21:03 Bishops get international perspective
24:49 Pope Leo’s address to new bishops
29:43 The Pope Leo ‘style’ of being bishop
33:40 What could change for bishops under Leo
35:30 Outro and credits

Links:
Pope Leo celebrates his 71st birthday—by giving gifts to the Vatican
Is Pope Leo ‘Americanizing’ Vatican fundraising?
What Pope Leo has said about an ‘A.I. pause’
Pope Leo calls for ‘culture of negotiation’ at meeting of North and South American leaders
Synodality, multiculturalism and working with Pope Leo: Archbishop Costelloe on the Australian Catholic Church
Pope Leo warns technology cannot replace the value of human relationships
Cardinal Czerny awarded inaugural Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal
Pope Leo commemorates 9/11, praying for all who ‘bear wounds of that tragic day’

Follow Gerry on X: @gerryorome
Follow Colleen on Instagram: @colleendulle
Support Inside the Vatican by becoming a subscriber to America Magazine!

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39 min
September 11What’s on Pope Leo’s desk this fall
In this week’s episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and Colleen take the opportunity of Pope Leo’s 71st birthday on Monday, Sept. 14, to look back at what he has accomplished thus far in his papacy and what major items remain on his desk for the fall, including trips to France and Latin America, a series of high-profile appointments and the ongoing trials of Marko Rupnik and Angelo Becciu.
The hosts also announce the launch of the newest America newsletter, Vatican Notebook! Subscribe here.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
3:21 Pope Leo celebrates his 71st birthday
5:50 A review of Pope Leo's first year
10:01 Pope Leo's effect on geopolitics
13:53 Pope Leo assembles a diverse new team
21:50 Leo's focus on peace, poverty and A.I.
28:10 Pope Leo is in no rush
29:10 The pope's preferences for bishops
35:11 Plans for filling bishop vacancies
37:03 Marko Rupnik trial updates
40:53 A new attitude on Vatican finances
44:30 Outro

Links:
How do popes celebrate their birthdays? Pizza, parties and puppies (from 2025)

Is Pope Leo ‘Americanizing’ Vatican fundraising?

Pope Leo: Catholics cannot be ‘unengaged spectators’ amid ‘injustice, discrimination and violence’

Pope Leo’s visit to France likely to attract a million people

Peruvian city to unveil world’s tallest statue of Pope Leo for trip to South America

A long-awaited reckoning: A timeline of the Father Marko Rupnik case

Subscribe to Vatican Notebook
Follow Gerry on X: @gerryorome
Follow Colleen on Instagram: @colleendulle
Support Inside the Vatican by becoming a subscriber to America Magazine!

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48 min
July 03 Pope Leo's message for the United States' 250th anniversary
Pope Leo today received the National Constitution Center’s liberty medal and gave an acceptance speech via livestream from the Vatican. Colleen Dulle recaps his message.
Links from the show:
Read: Pope Leo’s message to the United States on its 250th anniversary
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3 min
July 02Vatican excommunicates SSPX bishops, priests and others
Today, July 2, in response to the SSPX’s illicit ordinations of bishops, the Vatican announced that not only were the bishops involved in the ordination automatically excommunicated and in schism, but that any clergy of SSPX or lay members who “adhere” to the schism are also to be considered excommunicated.
Links from the show:
The Vatican and SSPX controversy, explained

Vatican declares excommunicated SSPX bishops, warns priests and lay faithful of schism

Analysis: SSPX excommunications show what Pope Leo means by church ‘unity’

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3 min
June 26 ‘I doubt he will be diplomatic’: What Leo may say to the U.S. July 3
On this season finale of “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen and Gerry discuss the hectic weeks before Pope Leo’s summer vacation. First they recap the pope’s trip to Pavia to visit the remains of St. Augustine and the home of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, his speech to the World Food Program and the Vatican’s denial of the German bishops’ request to allow lay people to preach homilies. They also look ahead to this week’s consistory of cardinals, the illicit ordinations planned by SSPX, the pope’s address to Americans on July 3 and his trip to Lampedusa July 4, along with how Leo plans to spend his summer vacation.
In this episode, Gerry also breaks the news of how many days Pope Leo will spend in Argentina, Peru and Uruguay this fall.
0:00 Intro
1:17 Pope Leo’s visit to Pavia and Cabrini’s hometown
4:52 Breaking News - Pope Leo’s agenda for Latin America
5:44 Pope Leo’s visit to the World Food Program
10:50 Vatican says no to lay homilies during Mass
11:35 Meeting of continental synod leaders at Vatican
16:38 Consistory of cardinals on war, AI and the synod
23:49 Cardinals could discuss SSPX at consistory
28:44 Pope Leo’s address to Americans July 3
34:06 Pope Leo’s July 4 visit to Lampedusa
34:53 What we know about Pope Leo’s summer plans
39:22 Please fill out our listener survey!

Links:
Pope Leo XIV exalts first American saint Cabrini as a model for Christians for her care of migrants
Pope Leo: War is ‘fed more easily’ than the hungry
Vatican to German bishops: No lay people preaching homilies at Mass
SSPX stands firm against Vatican II in open letter to Pope Leo
Extraordinary consistory signals Pope Leo’s push to work with cardinals on global challenges
Fill out our Listener Survey!

Follow Gerry on X: @gerryorome
Follow Colleen on Instagram: @colleendulle
Support Inside the Vatican by becoming a subscriber to America Magazine!

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43 min
June 19 ‘Like I’ve rarely seen him’: Pope Leo’s visit to Spain
Pope Leo visited Spain from June 6-12, a visit that drew record-breaking crowds. This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerard O’Connell recaps for Colleen Dulle the highlights from the pope’s three stops: Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands. On the last day, Gerry reports, Leo spoke out against those who take advantage of migrants “like I’ve rarely seen him,” shouting, “Stop! Repent!”
After this episode was recorded, Pope Leo spoke to journalists outside Castel Gandolfo, saying “Thank God” for the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding and commenting on the upcoming illicit ordinations of bishops for the Society of St. Pius X. Regarding the latter, he said, ““If they make that choice, I am sorry, but we must move forward.”

Interview: Madrid’s Cardinal Cobo says Pope Leo’s visit to Spain ‘is bringing out the best in people’
In Spain, Pope Leo denounces polarization and hails commitment to multilateralism
More than one million attend Pope Leo’s Mass and procession in the heart of Madrid
Pope Leo defends the unborn and migrants in historic speech to Spanish parliament
Pope Leo meets with 6 clergy abuse survivors in Spain
Pope Leo blesses 21 ambulances that an Argentine nun is taking to Ukraine
Pope Leo tackles depression, domestic violence and the ‘cult of self-image’ in dialogue with young people
Pope Leo visits famed Spanish monastery, entrusting his ministry to the Virgin of Montserrat
Pope Leo XIV honors Antoni Gaudí and blesses the Sagrada Familia’s final tower
‘Human dignity has no passport’: Pope Leo visits Gran Canaria
Pope Leo ends visit to Spain with a call to repent
Pope Leo speaks out on SSPX ordinations and U.S.-Iran deal

Follow Gerry on X: @gerryorome
Follow Colleen on Instagram: @colleendulle
Support Inside the Vatican by becoming a subscriber to America Magazine!

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46 min
June 11 Anna Rowlands on the ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ debates
Pope Leo’s encyclical ‘Magnifica Humanitas,’ published May 25, has sparked debates in the worlds of technology and theology while galvanizing online creators opposed to artificial intelligence. Anna Rowlands, a theologian and co-presenter of the text with Pope Leo, joins Colleen Dulle to parse the encyclical’s reception, its contributions to Catholic teaching, and whether workers can use the encyclical to justify religious exemptions to using A.I.

Links:
Pope Leo’s trip to Spain: Background on Sagrada Familia, migrant advocacy and a changing Catholic landscape
More than one million attend Pope Leo’s Mass and procession in the heart of Madrid
Pope Leo meets with 6 clergy abuse survivors in Spain
Pope Leo meets Bad Bunny in Madrid
A.I. is the headline for ‘Magnifica Humanitas,’ but Catholic social teaching is its spine
Why ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ is Pope Leo’s most important action on synodality yet

Follow Gerry on X: @gerryorome
Follow Colleen on Instagram: @colleendulle
Support Inside the Vatican by becoming a subscriber to America Magazine!

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41 min

About Inside The Vatican

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Each week, Colleen Dulle goes behind the headlines of the biggest Vatican news stories with America’s Rome correspondent Gerard O’Connell. They'll break down complicated news stories that have a whole…