Inside The Vatican

Pope Francis gave a brief and unexpected interview to James Martin, S.J., for Father Martin’s new L.G.B.T.-focused publication, Outreach, a subsidiary of America Media.

In the brief interview, the pope reminds L.G.B.T. Catholics that “God is Father and he does not disown any of his children” and gives advice to those who feel rejected by the church.

Father Martin joins host Colleen Dulle on this bonus episode of “Inside the Vatican” to unpack the “mini-interview”, how he was able to interview the pope, and what message the interview sends about Pope Francis’ approach to L.G.B.T. issues.

“I think that as [Pope Francis] talks about God's style—closeness, compassion and tenderness—it’s his style too,” Father Martin said. “He wants to reach [L.G.B.T. people]. He wants to talk to them. And I think, again, this is one of the little steps he takes to reach this community step by step.”

Links from the show:

Outreach: In brief letter, Pope Francis speaks to LGBTQ Catholics

Outreach.faith

Video: How Pope Francis is changing the Vatican's tone on LGBT people

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Despite his hopes to declare victory over Ukraine May 9, Russian president Vladimir Putin instead used his speech that day to rehash his complaint that the West and NATO had forced him to send troops into Ukraine. More surprising was that Pope Francis echoed Putin’s sentiments in an interview that earned him condemnation by the Wall Street Journal editorial board. 

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell and host Colleen Dulle unpack the pope’s comments. They also discuss the religious implications of the Russia-Ukraine war and how it threatens work towards Christian unity.

After that, the two discuss why the Vatican postponed Pope Francis’ scheduled trip to Lebanon before giving an update on Cardinal Becciu’s testimony at what’s been called the Vatican’s “trial of the century.”

In a highly unusual move, Cardinal Becciu revealed confidential information about how much the Vatican was willing to spend to ransom a kidnapped nun. Gerry explains how this revelation could put the safety of church workers around the world at risk.

Links from the show:

Pope Francis: ‘I am ready to go to Moscow’ to end the war in Ukraine

What critics of Pope Francis’ NATO comments don’t understand about Vatican diplomacy

Pope Francis approved spending 1 million euros to free nun kidnapped by Al-Qaeda-linked militants

Podcast: The Vatican’s $200 million London real estate scandal, explained

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In a new interview with the Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera, Pope Francis revealed some of the details of his communications with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill and Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban. He also reflected on why he chose to appeal publicly to the Russian ambassador to the Holy See to end the war, rather than communicate privately with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell and host Colleen Dulle dig into the pope’s interview—and why he says he is pessimistic about the possibility of peace.

“There are none so deaf as those who do not want to hear,” Gerry says on this week’s show. “And it seems at this moment that the Kremlin does not want to listen to peace talk. They want victory; they want taking of territory…even if…as the Pope said, you put a flag on rubble and call it victory.”

Also on the show, Colleen gives an update on Pope Francis’ request that the Pontifical Council for the Protection of Minors produce an annual report on, in Francis’ words, “what the church is doing to protect minors and what needs to change.”

Links from the show:

Pope Francis: ‘I am ready to go to Moscow’ to end the war in Ukraine

There are plenty of good reasons for Pope Francis not to go to Ukraine. Futility is not one of them.

Pope Francis asks the church to produce annual audit on sexual abuse

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Pope Francis will not visit Kyiv as hoped and has suspended his meeting with Patriarch Kirill, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, planned for July in Jerusalem.

In an interview with La Nación, an Argentine daily newspaper, published on April 21, the pope said he had made the decision to suspend his meeting with Kirill because the Holy See’s diplomatic arm advised him that “a reunion between the two at this time could give rise to much confusion.”

This week on “Inside The Vatican,” co-producer Ricardo da Silva, S.J., interviews Anne Leahy, who once served as the Canadian ambassador to Russia and later to the Holy See, to understand Pope Francis and the Vatican in its relations with Russia.

As a career diplomat, Ms. Leahy has unique insight into the diplomatic dilemmas facing the pope at this time, in his desire to negotiate peace between two nations at war and end the wanton bloodshed in Ukraine, and in his decision not to name and shame the aggressor of this war. 

“What is happening on the ground right now is a very delicate exercise that the Holy See finds itself in,” Ms. Leahy says. “Do you really think that naming President Putin is going to shame him at this point?”

The former ambassador also shares personal experiences of her time in Russia and the Vatican, which have points “quite in common between administrations.” 

“It’s a lot better now under Pope Francis, in terms of transparency and in terms of access to information, in a way,” she says.

At the top of the show, Ricardo joins regular “Inside the Vatican” host Colleen Dulle to discuss the major news coming out of the Vatican this past week. They share their takeaways from the pope’s interview and the ongoing troubles with his knee injury, which has once again forced him to stop his regular liturgies and work schedule at the Vatican.

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Links from the show:

Pope Francis suspends planned meeting with Russia’s Patriarch Kirill and explains why he hasn’t visited Kyiv

There are plenty of good reasons for Pope Francis not to go to Ukraine. Futility is not one of them.

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Catholics worldwide celebrated Holy Week as the latest Russian offensive began in Ukraine. In this episode of Inside the Vatican, host Colleen Dulle and veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell examine how the war was addressed in the Vatican’s Holy Week services.

Gerry and Colleen explain the controversy that led to one of the Stations of the Cross reflections, which was co-written by a Russian and Ukrainian woman, being changed before the service. They also review how the pope’s physical health looked, after the pope did not celebrate the Easter Vigil as was scheduled.

In the second half of the show, Colleen and Gerry turn to Vatican diplomacy, giving an overview of what diplomatic and religious relationships the Vatican has to keep in mind as it weighs its response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the possibility of a papal visit to Kyiv.

“If Russia isn't listening,” Colleen asks, “Does the Pope delivering this peace message matter?”

Links from the show:

A Ukrainian and a Russian were invited to lead the Vatican’s Via Crucis. Ukraine wants Pope Francis to reconsider.

Pope Francis calls for an Easter truce in Ukraine, leading to ‘peace through a true negotiation’

In Easter Message, Pope Francis calls for peace in Ukraine and world: ‘Peace is a duty; peace is everyone’s responsibility!’

Interview: Former U.S.-Vatican ambassador says Pope Francis going to Ukraine is ‘advisable, for sure.’

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Crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square on April 10 for the Vatican’s first public Palm Sunday Mass in two years, and Pope Francis began the busiest liturgical week of the year while still dealing with acute knee pain. Afterwards, he called for an Easter truce in Ukraine.

On “Inside the Vatican,” Rome correspondent Gerard O’Connell and host Colleen Dulle discuss Pope Francis’ message of peace and how he is likely to expand it later this week.

The two also look at what mobility challenges Pope Francis may face during his eight Holy Week ceremonies.

Note: After this episode was recorded April 11, news broke that Pope Francis will be washing the feet of inmates at a prison in Civitavecchia, Italy, on Holy Thursday. Two high-profile Ukrainians have also called on Pope Francis to remove a Russian family from co-presenting one of the Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum with a Ukrainian family. More on those stories below.

Read more:

Pope Francis calls for an Easter truce in Ukraine, leading to ‘peace through a true negotiation’

Read: Pope Francis’ homily for Palm Sunday 2022. ‘God can forgive every sin.’

Joe Donnelly, a ‘proud’ Catholic, presents credentials to Pope Francis as U.S. ambassador to Holy See

A Ukrainian and a Russian were invited to lead the Vatican’s Via Crucis. Ukraine wants Pope Francis to reconsider.

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Last week, Pope Francis apologized to representatives of the First Nations, Métis and Inuit people for the Catholic Church’s role in Canada’s residential schools that suppressed Indigenous culture and were often the site of abuse. This week on “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell discuss what the apology meant to Indigenous leaders.

Pope Francis also told the Indigenous delegations that he hopes to visit Canada this summer, in addition to his already-announced trips to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan in July, and possible trips to Ukraine and Lebanon before that. But this past weekend, the pope struggled to move around during his trip to Malta April 2-3.

On the podcast, Gerry recounts the difficulty Pope Francis has had with his knee in Malta and the questions it raises about the impending Holy Week ceremonies and future papal trips. “Obviously they will have to tailor-make the events for him just as they did for the last years of John Paul II,” Gerry said. “They devised ways of reducing the stress and making mobility more easy.”

Colleen and Gerry also discuss Pope Francis’ revelation that he closely follows the news Elisabetta Piqué—Gerry’s wife and an Argentine war correspondent—has been reporting from Ukraine, calling her a few times a week for updates. “We never said anything publicly. It was he who spilled the beans!” Gerry says. “I think it really shows the pope doesn't just work by ordinary, official channels to get his information. He doesn’t depend on the Curia or on ambassadors or governments or nuncios. He also goes out to ordinary people whose judgment he trusts and whom he knows are in touch with the reality.”

Links from the show:

Pope Francis visits Malta this weekend. Here’s what to expect.

Arriving in Malta, Pope Francis warns of a new Cold War and urges attention to refugees

Read Pope Francis’ address to Maltese authorities, civil society and diplomatic corps

Pope Francis last spoke to Putin before New Year’s, is willing to visit Kyiv but that is ‘up in the air’

Pope Francis is wise to not call out Putin directly. Here’s why.

Pope Francis to visit Lebanon in June during economic crisis, country’s president says

Pope Francis: The blood of innocent victims massacred in Bucha ‘cries out to heaven’

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This week, Pope Francis is meeting with leaders of the First Nations, Metis, and Inuit people who have traveled to Rome from Canada. They want to tell the pope about their experiences at the state-funded, church-run residential schools that took indigenous children from their communities in an effort to assimilate them to the dominant Canadian culture.

Last year, the country and the church were shocked by the discovery of hundreds of human remains that were found buried on the sites of former residential schools. It’s the hope of Indigenous leaders that Pope Francis will travel to Canada this year to apologize for the church’s role in the schools and for the abuse that was perpetrated there.

But this work is part of a larger process of finding truth and reconciliation between indigenous people and the church in Canada, that will take much more than a papal apology. So this week, we’re bringing you an interview with six people from the truth and reconciliation committee that was established within the Archdiocese of Regina in Saskatchewan to uncover the truth of what happened at residential schools in their area and foster a relationship of healing and dialogue, led by Indigenous people. 

Our guests include two residential school survivors, May Desnomin and Susan Beaudin, along with Bishop Donald Bolen, Joanna Laundry, Deacon Eric Gurash, and Lisa Polk.

This week on Inside the Vatican, they tell their stories—and explain their hopes for what healing can look like when the church and indigenous people can face the truth together.

After that, veteran Vatican reporter Gerard O’Connell gives an update from Rome, where the meetings between the pope and the Canadian delegations are already in full swing.

Links from the show:

The Indigenous people of Canada want an apology from Pope Francis

The Canadian church’s leadership is changing. What could it mean for reconciliation with Indigenous peoples?

Inside Day 1 of the historic encounter between Pope Francis and Canada’s Indigenous communities

What does Our Lady of Fátima have to do with Russia and Ukraine?

Pope Francis: Consecrating Russia and Ukraine to Mary is ‘not a magic formula but a spiritual act.’

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On Saturday, March 19, unexpectedly and with no fanfare, the Vatican published the new 54-page constitution for the Roman Curia, called “Praedicate Evangelium” or “Preach the Gospel.” Among other changes, it made evangelization the Vatican’s top office, opened leadership of top Vatican offices to any baptized Catholic, and made the protection of minors a permanent part of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

In this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell and host Colleen Dulle break down the document’s changes in the context of Pope Francis’ vision of evangelization, and what effects they are likely to have.

Colleen and Gerry also discuss Pope Francis’ second phone call with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Links from the show:

With Pope Francis’ reform of the Roman Curia, nine years of work is coming to fruition

Pope Francis is drawing on Vatican II to radically change how the Catholic Church is governed

Pope Francis just opened the door for lay people to head Vatican departments

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As Russian airstrikes on Ukraine continue and its ground efforts meet fierce resistance from the Ukrainian army, the Vatican is stepping up its efforts for peace.

On this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell and host Colleen Dulle discuss Pope Francis’ latest moves, including Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Pietro Parolin’s call with the Russian foreign minister, Cardinals Michael Czerny and Konrad Krajewski’s mission to Ukrainian refugees, the pope’s call to “Stop this massacre,” and the chance of a papal visit to Kyiv. 

Amid all these efforts, Colleen asks Gerry: Is the diplomatic solution the Vatican is advocating really possible?

In the second part of the show, Gerry tells the story of Sr. Lucia Caram, the heroic nun who drove 4,000 miles to Ukraine and back to rescue six Ukrainian refugees.

Find the latest updates on the Vatican’s anti-war efforts at https://www.americamagazine.org/topic/ukraine. 

Links from the show:

Cardinal Krajewski in Ukraine: ‘Faith can move mountains, not to mention a stupid war.’

Meet Sister Lucía Caram, the nun who drove 4,000 miles in a weekend to save Ukrainian refugees

Inside Cardinal Czerny’s visit to Ukraine

Cardinal Parolin calls for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine: ‘Peace is not a utopia.’

Pope Francis on Ukraine: ‘Stop this massacre’

Ukraine mayor invites Pope Francis to visit Kyiv, asking ‘the world’s spiritual leaders to take a stand’

Read: Pope Francis prays for Ukraine

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