Welcome to America magazine’s Conclave Podcast. Our editors are on the ground in Rome covering the conclave to elect the next pope. 

In today’s episode from Rome, the team discusses:

President Donald Trump’s choice for pope

The latest from the cardinal pre-conclave meetings

The question: Will the next pope be an Italian?

The unfinished business of Pope Francis’ papacy, including: synodality, fighting sexual abuse, reforming Vatican governance and an ecumenical trip to Turkey on the anniversary of the Council of Nicaea  

This episode features:

Sam Sawyer, S.J., America’s editor in chief 

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

Colleen Dulle, co-host of America’s “Inside the Vatican” podcast

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

Zac Davis, director of digital strategy and co-host of America’s “Jesuitical” podcast

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

Links from the show:

Cardinals say they are expecting a short conclave

Watch: Trump jokes he’d ‘like to be Pope’

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

The four signs of a truly synodal church

Pope Francis issues new rules for accountability and response to allegations of sexual abuse

Pope Francis’ new sex abuse rules are a revolution for the Catholic Church

Vatican to consider classifying ‘spiritual abuse’ as new Catholic crime

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

Podcast: Pope Francis’ Roman Curia reform, explained

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to America magazine’s Conclave Podcast. Our editors are on the ground in Rome covering the conclave to elect the next pope. 

In today’s episode, the team discusses:

- The controversial presence at the pre-conclave meetings of Cardinal Becciu, convicted of embezzlement, and Cardinal Cipriani, who was sanctioned by the Vatican for alleged sexual abuse

- The topics emerging in the cardinals’ secret meetings

- How “unity” and “clarity” are becoming buzzwords for reversing Francis’ style of governance

This episode features:

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

- Colleen Dulle, co-host of America’s “Inside the Vatican” podcast

- Gerard O’Connell, Vatican correspondent and co-host of America’s “Inside the Vatican” podcast

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

- Zac Davis, director of digital strategy and co-host of America’s “Jesuitical” podcast

- Sam Sawyer, S.J., America’s editor in chief 

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

Links from the show: 

- ⁠What Pope Francis taught us: Church teaching finds clarity and power in acts of mercy⁠

- ⁠Cardinal Becciu will not participate in conclave following dispute over right to vote⁠

- ⁠As Cardinals Prepare to Elect a Pope, One Motto Is ‘Unity.’ That’s Divisive.⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

America Magazine’s editors are on the ground in Rome covering the conclave to elect the next pope. As part of the coverage, the team is producing a new podcast episode every day and releasing it on Inside the Vatican and Jesuitical.

In today’s episode, the team discusses:

- The funeral of Pope Francis

- The cardinal’s decision to start the conclave on May 7

- The College of Cardinals by the numbers

- How the conclave is (and isn’t) a referendum on Pope Francis’ pontificate

Hosted by Sebastian Gomes, America’s executive editor of audio and video, and featuring commentary from “Inside the Vatican” co-hosts Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell, Jesuitical hosts Zac Davis and Ashley McKinless, editor in chief Sam Sawyer, SJ, editor at large James Martin, SJ, and senior editor J.D. Long García.

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

Links:

- ⁠Conclave to elect a new pope will start on May 7⁠

- ⁠The three surprises of Pope Francis’ funeral⁠

- ⁠Mourners from around the world flock to Rome to say goodbye to ‘pope of the people’⁠

- ⁠Father James Martin: Don’t be afraid of the conclave—or the next pope⁠

- ⁠The papal transition: What you need to know⁠

- ⁠Cardinal Becciu will not participate in conclave following dispute over right to vote⁠

- ⁠The prayer Rome needs right now: Come, Holy Spirit.⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pope Francis—the first Jesuit and Latin American pope—has died.

As 1.4 billion Catholics begin mourning the loss of their pastor, and the world grieves one of its most prominent spiritual leaders, the Church remembers the pope who saw himself not only as the bishop of Rome, but as a parish priest to the whole world.

Now, a momentous process begins in Rome: the funeral, the mourning rites, and the election of a new pope.

In this special deep-dive episode of Inside the Vatican, host Colleen Dulle guides listeners through the rituals, rules, and hidden dynamics that unfold when a pope dies—from the certification of his death and the breaking of the papal ring to the solemn gathering of cardinals from around the world, and the quiet conversations that begin among them as they prepare to discern who will lead the church into its next chapter.

These cardinals will soon enter the conclave—the oldest surviving method of leadership selection in the world. Held beneath Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, the conclave is a spiritual event wrapped in secrecy and tradition. There, 135 cardinal electors, bound by oath and guided by prayer, will choose the next successor of Peter.

You’ll hear from:

Join us as we explore the sacred traditions and profound moments that shape a papal transition—and gain unique insight into the process of choosing the next leader of the Catholic Church.

Please support Inside the Vatican by becoming a digital subscriber to America Media.

Links for further reading

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“We’ve lost a friend on earth—and gained one in heaven,” says Gerard O’Connell as he mourns Pope Francis. In this special Inside the Vatican roundtable, recorded the day after the pope’s death, hosts Gerard O’Connell and Colleen Dulle join their producer, Ricardo da Silva, S.J., for a heartfelt conversation about the life, legacy and final days of a pope who changed the Catholic Church—and changed them.

Gerry, who perhaps knew Francis more as a friend than as pope—having shared a personal bond for more than two decades, and whose children were baptized by him—recalls the last time he saw him alive: Easter Sunday, riding through the crowds in his popemobile. “That’s my last image of him,” he says. Colleen reflects on witnessing the pope’s final Urbi et Orbi blessing from the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square and thinking, “He gave his all to the job,” she says. “Really left nothing on the table.” Ricardo remembers the pope’s joy at World Youth Day in Lisbon and the line that has stayed with him: “‘Todos, todos, todos!’ This is the church for all!”

Together, they reflect on the global impact of Francis’ papacy: his outreach to migrants and the poor, his advocacy for peace and the planet, and his reforms on synodality and inclusion. Colleen recalls the pope’s final request, recorded in his last testament: It would be “just a simple grave in the ground with a stone over the top that just says Franciscus on it. No extra ornamentation.”

Please support this podcast by becoming a digital subscriber to America Media.

Further reading

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pope Francis died early this morning at 7:35 a.m. Rome time. He was 88. His death follows a 38-day hospital stay for double pneumonia that ended last month.

He died at Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican guesthouse where he lived. A brief service was held there, led by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the camerlengo, who now oversees preparations for the next conclave.

In announcing the pope’s death, Cardinal Farrell said Francis “taught us to live the values of the Gospel with faithfulness, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and the marginalized.”

The cardinals will meet tomorrow, April 22, to set the date of the funeral. Pope Francis will lie in state in St. Peter’s Basilica, likely beginning Wednesday, April 23.

We’ll have much more coverage in the days ahead. For now, you can find Gerry’s obituary and our ongoing reporting here:

Please support this podcast by becoming a digital subscriber to America Media.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Nicene Creed, which emerged from the Council of Nicaea, remains a foundational declaration of Christian faith today. But what exactly was Nicaea? Why does it still matter to Christians centuries later? 

This special deep dive unravels what made the council groundbreaking and explores how it continues to impact Christian life today. Host Colleen Dulle brings listeners inside its rich history through interviews with experts; theologians, ecumenical scholars and historians.

Our guests include:

Please support this podcast by becoming a digital subscriber to America Media.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former cardinal Theodore McCarrick died on April 3; he was the first cardinal to be removed from the College of Cardinals over sexual abuse and was ultimately laicized. This week, we’re re-presenting “Inside the Vatican”’s 2020 deep dive, “The Rise and Fall of Theodore McCarrick,” which was published just after the Vatican published an unprecedented report into how McCarrick was able to rise through the church’s ranks despite his abuse being an “open secret.”

In this episode, America’s Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell and host Colleen Dulle explain the rise and fall of Theodore McCarrick, once the most prominent prelates in the U.S. Catholic church.

The two unpack the accusations made in Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò’s incendiary 2018 letter and how those are addressed in the Vatican’s recent report. Gerry gives an up-close view of how the events of the last two years unfolded, and Colleen raises questions about whether this report will usher in a new era of accountability.

Please support this podcast by becoming a digital subscriber to America Media.

Find a transcript of this episode here.

Links for further reading and listening:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Mar. 20, Pope Francis said in his written Sunday Angelus address that he was experiencing Lent as a time of “healing” in his body and his soul. In this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell walk us through the pontiff’s recovery, including “slight improvements” in his speech.

In the second half of the show, Colleen and Gerry discuss an announcement made by the bishop of Lourdes that the mosaics on the doors of the Lourdes Shrine by alleged abuser Marko Rupnik will be covered up this week.

Note: After this episode was recorded, the Sanctuary of Fátima announced that it would no longer use photos of its Rupnik mosaics in promotional materials, however it would leave the artwork on display.

Please support this podcast by becoming a digital subscriber to America Media.

Find links to further reading here.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pope Francis has returned home after 38 days in the hospital, which included two life-threatening respiratory crises. In this episode, host Colleen Dulle and veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell discuss a revealing new interview that the pope’s doctor gave to an Italian newspaper. Gerry describes the scene at the Gemelli Hospital when the pope made his first public appearance on March 23, and the two describe what they know so far about what to expect from the pope’s planned two-month convalescence period.

Note: After this podcast was recorded, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s planned visit to the Vatican had been postponed due to the pope’s need for rest.

Please support this podcast by becoming a digital subscriber to America Media.

Find links to further reading here.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices