Inside The Vatican

With more countries shutting down nonessential businesses because of the coronavirus, church leaders have faced tough decisions about whether to keep churches open to the faithful or to close them to mitigate the spread of infections. This week, Pope Francis weighed in after a Vatican cardinal announced that all of Rome’s churches would close.

The pope prayed for pastors at his daily Mass the day after the announcement, saying, “Drastic measures are not always good. Therefore, we pray that the Holy Spirit might grant pastoral discernment to pastors so that they might perceive measures that might not leave the holy, faithful people of God alone.” Within a few hours, the decision was overturned, and instead, each pastor would decide whether to open his church.

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” producer Colleen Dulle and Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell, both recording from home due to the pandemic, unpack the ways Pope Francis and other Vatican leaders have been navigating the balance between public health and pastoral closeness. The hosts discuss Pope Francis’ Mass intentions responding to current events like the migrant crisis and Italian prison riots, as well as the pope’s pilgrimage through the empty streets of Rome, where he visited the icon and crucifix at the center of two famous plague-ending miracles.

“This was a dramatic expression of faith in the midst of crisis,” Gerry said.

Links from the show:

• Coronavirus: News, Reflections, Analysis. What you need to know.
• In Italy, church and state join together to fight coronavirus
• Pope prays for pastors to find ways to minister amid pandemic
• Vatican says public will not be admitted to papal Holy Week liturgies
• Pope Francis prays in Rome churches asking God to rid the world of the coronavirus

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Vatican City reported its first case of coronavirus last week after a non-Vatican resident passed through its medical center for a routine medical evaluation. Over the weekend, the Italian government announced a total lockdown and a ban on public gatherings, advising residents not to leave their homes. On “Inside the Vatican” this week, America’s Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell details what it’s like living in Rome under the lockdown and how the Holy See and the pope are handling the crisis.

The Vatican has also announced that the 2022 synod of bishops will focus on the theme of “synodality.” Gerry and producer Colleen Dulle explain what synodality is, where the idea came from, and why Pope Francis is choosing to hold what some have jokingly called a “meta-synod.” 

The hosts also give an update on Cardinal George Pell’s final appeal, which will be brought to Australia’s High Court this week.

Links from the show:

• Watch Pope Francis’ daily Santa Marta Masses
• The Vatican reports first case of coronavirus
• Following Italy’s lead, Vatican to begin strong measures to counteract coronavirus
• Pope Francis will hold Angelus and public audience via video streaming in response to coronavirus concerns
• Delivering Angelus by video, Pope Francis expresses closeness to all affected by coronavirus
• Pope Francis chooses ‘synodality’ as theme for 2022 synod

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Pope Francis canceled his public audiences beginning Thursday, February 27 due to what his spokesman called a “slight indisposition.” Amid media reports that Francis had been tested for coronavirus, the pope addressed a smaller-than-normal crowd in St. Peter’s Square and said he had a cold.

On this week’s “Inside the Vatican” podcast, Rome correspondent Gerard O’Connell describes the fear surrounding coronavirus that has gripped the Eternal City. Then, Gerry and producer Colleen Dulle unpack the pope’s most extensive comments to date on the ongoing reform of the Legionaries of Christ.

The hosts also discuss a new task force that will bring together the Vatican’s top experts on sexual abuse prevention to help dioceses and religious orders that are not yet in compliance with Vatican guidelines catch up.

Finally, Colleen and Gerry give a few quick updates on the opening of the Vatican’s secret archives on Pope Pius XII, which they covered previously on the show, as well as the death of Nicaraguan priest and poet Ernesto Cardenal.

Links from the show:

• Pope Francis, recovering from his cold, greets pilgrims
• After slight cold, Pope Francis reportedly tests negative for coronavirus
• Inside the Vatican, June 27, 2019: What does the pope do on vacation?
• Pope Francis tells scandal-marred Legion of Christ they still haven’t reformed
• AP: Vatican task force offers help to church on abuse prevention
• Vatican wartime archives ready for new batch of scholars
• Inside the Vatican, March 7, 2019: Vatican opens secret wartime archives
• Father Ernesto Cardenal, poet and revolutionary, dies in Nicaragua

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This week’s “Inside the Vatican” explores the relationship between faith, global politics, and the Catholic understanding of sainthood.

First up, Colleen and Gerry discuss Pope Francis’ recent address to the Mediterranean bishops in the Southern Italian city of Bari. Speaking to a diverse group from North Africa, the Middle East, and Southern Europe, the pope addressed the many conflicts in the Mediterranean and North Africa that have displaced millions of refugees, and the global rise of populism that has swelled up in response. Francis stressed that the Gospel calls for peacemaking; on “Inside the Vatican,” the hosts discuss the challenges that brings.

Up next, the Vatican has taken a groundbreaking step towards making peace with another global power that is at times hostile to it: China. Holy See and Chinese foreign ministers met for the first time in more than 70 years. Colleen and Gerry explain how this meeting took the Vatican’s relationship with China to a new level and how much more lies beyond the surface of this diplomatic discussion.

Colleen and Gerry also give an update on the new credible allegations of abuse against L’Arche founder Jean Vanier. Colleen expresses her disappointment with the revelations about a man who was considered a ‘living saint,’ and Gerry explains how it is a sign of progress that Catholic institutions are taking transparency measures themselves rather than waiting on external investigations.

Finally, the hosts turn to a canonization cause that has long been in the works: that of Jesuit Father Rutilio Grande. Pope Francis recognized Father Grande’s death as a martyrdom last week, and Gerry explains how the church’s understanding of sainthood has grown to include those who work for social justice, who in the past may have been dismissed as primarily political actors.

Links from the show:

• Pope Francis urges bishops of the Mediterranean to promote peace and counteract populist hate speech
• Vatican and Chinese foreign ministers meet for first time in over 50 years
• Internal report finds that L’Arche founder Jean Vanier engaged in decades of sexual misconduct
• How can I reconcile the good and evil of Jean Vanier?
• Pope Francis recognizes the martyrdom of Jesuit Rutilio Grande and two lay companions in El Salvador

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Pope Francis’ highly-anticipated exhortation “Querida Amazonia” or “Beloved Amazon” came out last week, sparking more conversation about what the document did not say, that is, anything on ordaining married men as priests, than what it did say. Pope Francis expressed his discontent with the media’s fixation on married priests to a group of American bishops last week.

This week on the “Inside the Vatican” podcast, the hosts take a deep dive into “Querida Amazonia,” beginning with its calls for environmental, cultural and economic justice. We unpack the hostile reception the document has gotten from Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and examine what kind of impact the Catholic Church could have by siding with the poor and marginalized in the region.

Then, we turn to the hot-topic questions of married priests and women deacons. We try to contextualize Francis’ decisions on the topics within his broader vision of the church as lay-led, and we discuss frankly the challenges that have appeared on the road to actualizing that vision.

Links from the show:

• Querida Amazonia
• James Martin, S.J.: Five Takeaways from 'Querida Amazonia'
• Gerard O’Connell: What’s in Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation on the Amazon synod?
• Colleen Dulle: Inside ‘Querida Amazonia:’ A Conversation with Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J.
• Pope Francis shares with U.S. bishops his frustration with reaction to ‘Querida Amazonia’
• Some disappointed, some enraptured by Pope Francis’ ‘Querida Amazonia’

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The Vatican published Pope Francis’ long awaited follow-up document to the Amazon Synod, “Querida Amazonia,” or “Beloved Amazon,” this morning. This document was highly anticipated because it was expected to include Pope Francis’ final decision on whether or not to allow the ordination of mature, Indigenous, married men as priests or of women as deacons in the Amazon region.

Although the synod bishops recommended that Pope Francis approve the ordination of married men, the pope avoided the topic in his document, opting instead to encourage more vocations to the priesthood in the region. Some analysts have taken this, combined with Francis’ emphasis on the bishops’ recommendations document, to mean that the question of married priests is still open. 

On the question of female deacons, Francis says no, but encourages the church to find other, creative ways to increase women’s roles in ministry.

In this brief update episode of America’s “Inside the Vatican” podcast, I explain how these decisions, along with Francis’ comments on creating an Amazonian liturgical rite, fit into his pattern of entrusting important decisions to local churches—and what challenges churches face when trying to make these decisions.

“Querida Amazonia” is about much more than these two issues. You can find more coverage of the document at americamagazine.org, along with a full analysis next week on “Inside the Vatican.”

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This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell and producer Colleen Dulle explain why Archbishop Georg Gänswein, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s personal secretary and prefect of Pope Francis’ household, has been missing from public events in recent weeks. The Vatican said it was due to an “ordinary redistribution of his responsibilities,” but the timing seems to suggest it has to do with Archbishop Gänswein facilitating Benedict’s involvement in a recent controversial book on priestly celibacy. The hosts explain what’s known and unknown about Archbishop Gänswein’s situation.

The hosts also take a look at the Legionaries of Christ, who elected a new superior general last week. The new leader, the Rev. John Connor, will be tasked with the continuing reform of the order amid new allegations of past sexual abuse by Legionary priests, as well as the lingering financial questions about the order’s offshore holdings. On the show, the hosts explain the basics of the Legionaries’ abuse and financial scandals and the challenges Father Connor will face.

Finally, we give brief updates on Pope Francis’ forthcoming document “Querida Amazonia” as well as the Vatican’s report on former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and the pope’s upcoming trip to Malta.

Links from the show:

• Inside the Vatican: America’s Vatican correspondent explains Benedict’s book controversy
• Vatican seeks to explain absence of Archbishop Georg Gänswein after book scandal
• Graduate of Loyola University Chicago elected as Superior-General of the Legionaries of Christ
• 10 years after Vatican reform, Legionaries of Christ in new abuse crisis
• Legionaries of Christ report ‘chain of abuse’ as victims went on to abuse others
• Who knew what about former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick?

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Last week, Pope Francis met with Argentinian President Alberto Fernández, whose country is currently weathering an economic crisis that has led to widespread hunger and a crippling national debt. In their meeting, Pope Francis expressed his solidarity with his home country and offered to help however possible. On this week’s “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and I explain what form that help might take.

This past week also brought “news” on Pope Francis’ forthcoming document on the Amazon: an Italian historian reported that he had obtained advance sections of the document proving that Pope Francis would endorse ordaining mature, married men to the priesthood. Gerry explains on the show why he was skeptical about this report.

Finally, the Vatican has sent more than 600,000 masks to Wuhan Province in China to help fight the spread of coronavirus. This aid comes even as the Chinese government continues to crack down on religious communities, even banning Catholic priests from leading graveside prayers in cemeteries.

Links from the show:

• Pope Francis, a son of Argentina, welcomes its new president to the Vatican
• Inside the Vatican: Who is the papal almoner and what does he do?
• Vatican delivers 600,000 masks to help combat coronavirus in China

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On a recent episode of “Inside the Vatican,” in the midst of Cardinal Robert Sarah’s book controversy, Gerry and I discussed how Archbishop Georg Ganswein’s role as Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s personal secretary—and often, by default, his gatekeeper and spokesman—has been called into question. Since the start of his papacy, Pope Francis has expressed a desire to keep his personal secretaries out of the spotlight. This week on “Inside the Vatican,” we look at how Francis has changed the role and discuss Father Gonzalo Aemilius, the pope’s new personal secretary, who is known for his work with street children and drug addicts in his native Uruguay.

This week, we also give updates on the pope’s recent meetings with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Iraqi President Barham Salih. Since the Holy See has good relations with the U.S., Iran, and Iraq, could it be stepping in as a mediator?

We also explain the election of Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re as dean of the College of Cardinals and Cardinal Leonardo Sandri as vice dean. The election followed the traditional line, electing the former vice-dean as dean and the former chief of staff as vice-dean. We discuss what it means for both roles to go to Vatican insiders, for better and for worse.

Links from the show:

• Pope Francis names new secretary: a priest who worked with street children and drug addicts
• Mike Pence and Pope Francis meet in a surprisingly long first visit
• Pope Francis meets with Iraqi president amid growing tensions after Soleimani assassination
• Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re is the new Dean of the College of Cardinals
• “Inside the Vatican” explains the role of dean of the College of Cardinals

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Last week, Pope Francis appointed a woman to a top role in the Vatican’s Secretariat of State for the first time, while also upgrading that role from the department head level to the undersecretary level. On “Inside the Vatican” this week, Gerry and I take a look at these two decisions and what they reveal about Francis’ international priorities as well as his desire to include more women at leadership levels in the Vatican. 

Then, we look forward to the upcoming election of a new dean of the College of Cardinals. When Cardinal Angelo Sodano’s resignation was accepted in December, Pope Francis announced that he hoped to make a few changes to the role, including imposing term limits and making the job a full-time position. Gerry and I examine the reasons behind these changes.

We also give updates on several stories including last week’s controversy surrounding “From the Depths of Our Hearts,” Cardinal Robert Sarah’s book on priestly celibacy; U.S. Vice President Mike Pence’s upcoming meeting with Pope Francis; and when to expect Pope Francis’ follow-up document to the Amazon synod.

Links from the show:

• Pope Francis appoints a woman for the first time to senior role in the Vatican’s Secretariat of State
• Pope Francis: “I will never grow tired of condemning every form of anti-Semitism”

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