Following U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, Pope Leo renewed his persistent plea for peace—condemning escalating violence and urging diplomacy over destruction. This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell discuss his appeals for an end to war since his election and his unexpected remarks at the premiere of a play about journalist Paola Ugaz, who exposed abuse in Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, a powerful Peruvian lay group suppressed by Pope Francis earlier this year. They also preview Pope Leo’s upcoming retreat to Castel Gandolfo, reviving a papal tradition for rest, reflection and planning.

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Pope Leo appeals for “reason and responsibility” amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran—and lights up the jumbotron in Chicago. This week on “Inside the Vatican,” hosts Colleen Dulle and Gerry O’Connell report on the pope’s plea for peace and his message to 30,000 faithful at Rate Field, where he urged them to be “beacons of hope” in a divided world.

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We pause our usual “Inside the Vatican” weekly format to continue the conversation from America Media’s subscriber-only Conclave Debrief event this past Monday, June 9. Hosts Colleen Dulle, Gerard O’Connell, and producer Ricardo da Silva respond to subscriber questions about Pope Leo XIV and the recent conclave.

Gerard compares this conclave with the 2013 election of Pope Francis, highlighting what made it unique. Colleen shares her firsthand experience covering a conclave live from the Vatican for the first time, while Ricardo reflects on the surprising surge in secular media coverage and growing interest in the papacy both in the U.S. and at St. Peter’s. They also answer questions about Pope Leo’s early warnings on artificial intelligence, the urgent need for structural reforms to address the sexual abuse crisis with a focus on survivors, and how his background may shape Vatican-China diplomacy going forward.

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Gerard O’Connell shares insights from his interviews with seven cardinal-electors about why they chose Pope Leo XIV: a missionary with a global outlook, a leader known for deep listening, a promoter of synodality, and someone they found deeply credible. We also cover Pope Leo’s first priestly ordinations in Rome, where he urged new priests to live “lives that are known, lives that can be read, lives that are credible.” At the Jubilee Mass for Families, he said, “We must be prepared to defend the family.” Though some saw this as signaling a return to a firmer stance, this is a teaching popes in living memory have always upheld. Plus, Pope Leo blesses riders of the Giro d’Italia as the race passes through the Vatican Gardens.

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Pope Leo XIV met with 5,000 Vatican employees this week, thanking them for their dedication and recognizing their role as the Vatican’s “institutional memory.” To acknowledge their extra work during the papal transition, he surprised them with a €500 bonus. We discuss what this gesture reveals about his leadership style and efforts to boost staff morale. We also recap his packed Sunday schedule: his installation at St. John Lateran, prayers at Pope Francis’s tomb and before the Salus Populi Romani icon, and a meeting with the mayor of Rome. Plus: his renewed calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and release of humanitarian aid, Vatican efforts to mediate peace in the Russia-Ukraine war, and the launch of the Vatican’s redesigned website.

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A week into the papacy of Pope Leo XIV—the first U.S.-born pope—hosts Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell take stock of the emerging contours and dimensions of his leadership. They begin with his private meeting with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and what it might suggest about his diplomatic approach amid tensions between the Vatican and the U.S. over issues like migration and climate. They then turn to his emotional inauguration Mass, where the pope quoted St. Augustine, received the woolen pallium and fought back tears as the Fisherman’s Ring was placed on his finger. Finally, they consider how his early private audiences, formal speeches and video messages suggest a papacy in continuity with Pope Francis, yet possibly distinguished by a more scripted, deliberate style and a gift for expressing ideas with arresting elegance. One phrase he has already repeated might offer a defining glimpse into his papal politic: “disarmed and disarming.”

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Welcome to America magazine’s Conclave Podcast. Our editors are on the ground in Rome covering the first days of Leo XIV’s historic papacy.

Today, Pope Leo met with members of the Vatican press corps and the thousands of other media in Rome covering his election, telling them to be peacemakers and calling for the release of all imprisoned journalists. 

On our final episode recorded in Rome, the team discusses:

How Pope Leo related to the media, and the importance of his message of peace and truth in a world threatened by war and the rise of A.I.

Pope Leo’s meeting with the College of Cardinals on Saturday, in which he signaled that he would continue the work started by Pope Francis

Pope Leo’s “honeymoon” period—and the opposition he will inevitably face

This episode features:

Sebastian Gomes, America’s executive editor of audio and video

Gerard O’Connell, America’s Vatican correspondent 

Ashley McKinless, executive editor and co-host of America’s “Jesuitical” podcast

Links from the show:

Pope Leo XIV calls for the release of imprisoned journalists, tells media to be peacemakers

Full text: Pope Leo XIV’s address to the media

Pope Leo XIV’s message to the cardinals: Vatican II and Pope Francis are here to stay

Full text: Pope Leo XIV’s first formal address to the College of Cardinals

Interview: Chicago’s Cardinal Cupich on why the cardinals chose Pope Leo XIV

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Welcome to America magazine’s Conclave Podcast. In this episode, the team discusses the Augustinian (and American) roots of Pope Leo XIV.

They discuss:

Pope Leo XIV is an alum of Villanova University. What’s the atmosphere is like on campus right now?

The Augustinian roots of Pope Leo: the intellectual, spiritual and social principles that will lead his ministry

How poverty, chastity and obedience are a path to freedom and joy

Subscribe to America to get our extensive coverage of the historic election of Pope Leo XIV at: ⁠⁠https://www.americamagazine.org/subscribe⁠⁠

Links from the show:

⁠Pope Leo XIV’s first Sunday blessing: Appeals for peace, vocations and happy Mother’s Day.⁠

⁠Full text: Pope Leo XIV’s first formal address to the College of Cardinals⁠

⁠Pope Leo XIV’s message to the cardinals: Vatican II and Pope Francis are here to stay⁠

⁠⁠Pope Leo XIV: What to expect in the coming days⁠⁠

⁠⁠Full text: Pope Leo XIV’s first homily⁠⁠

⁠⁠Who was Pope Leo XIII?⁠⁠

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Welcome to America magazine’s Conclave Podcast. In this episode, veteran Vatican reporter Gerard O'Connell speaks to Colleen Dulle and Sam Sawyer, SJ about the unexpectedly quick election of Pope Leo XIV, who was elected on the fourth ballot in the conclave.

They discuss:

What the speedy election tell us about the conclave?

Why a pope from the U.S. was thought to be "impossible", and why it happened anyway.

Analyzing Leo XIV's first address to the world and homily to the cardinals.

Who was Leo XIII? Who is Leo XIV in light of his legacy?

Leo XIV was once a poor missionary in Peru and a capable administrator on a global stage

Subscribe to America to get our extensive coverage of the historic election of Pope Leo XIV at: https://www.americamagazine.org/subscribe

Links from the show:

Pope Leo XIV: What to expect in the coming days

Full text: Pope Leo XIV’s first homily

Who was Pope Leo XIII?

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Welcome to the America magazine conclave podcast. We are thrilled to join the church in welcoming Pope Leo XIV!

Our team was just in St. Peter’s Square for the historic election, and we’re here with first reactions and some important details about the life and ministry of the missionary Augustinian friar turned pope: the now former-Cardinal Robert F. Prevost.

Links from the show:

Robert Francis Prevost elected first American pope

Peru rejoices for their former bishop: Pope Leo XIV

Prepare to be surprised by the next pope

Sign up for America’s subscriber-exclusive “Conclave Diary” daily newsletter and get all of our extensive coverage at: ⁠⁠⁠AmericaMagazine.org/Subscribe

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