Inside The Vatican

Andrea Bocelli and Pharrell Williams hosted an unprecedented pop concert in St. Peter’s Square on Saturday night, Sept. 13, the eve of Pope Leo XIV’s 70th birthday. This week on “Inside the Vatican,” America Vatican correspondents Gerard O’Connell and Colleen Dulle discuss the concert, the Pope Leo’s birthday, and excerpts from his first major papal interview. The hosts discuss Pope Leo’s comments on his American and Peruvian identity, synodality, polarization and the role of the Holy See as both a mediator and a voice for peace. Links from the show: Leo turns 70: What it means to have a (relatively) young pope How do popes celebrate their birthdays? Pizza, parties and puppies Pope Leo receives credentials of U.S. ambassador to the Holy See Pope Leo calls out billionaires and income inequality in first interview From Chicago to Chiclayo to Rome: The Global Social Vision of Pope Leo XIV The unlikely hip-hop duo performing at a historic Vatican concert Pope Leo expresses his ‘profound closeness’ to the people of Gaza as Israeli ground invasion begins Credits: Production, engineering and video editing: Kevin Christopher Robles Executive producer: Sebastian Gomes Inside the Vatican is a production of America Media. Support Inside the Vatican by subscribing to America Magazine! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” America Vatican correspondents Gerard O’Connell and Colleen Dulle discuss the canonization of Sts. Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati. Gerry shares the sense of renewal he sees in the church given the popularity of these saints among young Catholics, and Colleen asks about some of the political and financial considerations in the saint-making process. In the second half of the show, Colleen and Gerry discuss the “official-unofficial” nature of the LGBT Jubilee, which brought LGBT Catholics from around the world to Rome for a pilgrimage through the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica. Links from the show: Pope Leo XIV declares Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati saints in a celebration of youthful devotion On the ground for the canonization of Saints Acutis and Frassati: Crowds, communion and Cheez-Its Deep Dive: How are saints made in the Catholic Church? Inside the long, complicated and expensive process LGBTQ Catholics process through Holy Door at St. Peter’s Credits: Production and engineering: Kevin Christopher Robles Executive producer: Sebastian Gomes Inside the Vatican is a production of America Media. Support Inside the Vatican by subscribing to America Magazine! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the eighth season of Inside the Vatican! This week, America’s Senior Vatican Correspondent Gerard O’Connell and Vatican Correspondent Colleen Dulle unpack two significant meetings Pope Leo XIV held this week: One with their colleague the Rev. James Martin, S.J., and the other with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Gerry and Colleen reveal the significance of seemingly small details like the inclusion of Father Martin’s meeting on the Vatican’s daily bulletin and the disagreement between the Holy See and Israel over whether or not the pope invited the president. In the second half of the show, Colleen and Gerry trade places, as Gerry interviews Colleen about her recently-released book, Struck Down, Not Destroyed: Keeping the Faith as a Vatican Reporter (Image, 2025). The two reflect on their very different experiences of the Catholic church and Colleen reflects on what has kept her in the church while covering distressing stories. Links from the show: Pope Leo and Israel’s president discuss ‘tragic situation in Gaza’ in private audience Israeli president Herzog to visit Pope Leo at Vatican Pope Leo meets with Father James Martin, seen as a sign of support for ministry with L.G.B.T.Q. Catholics Father James Martin: Pope Leo’s message for LGBTQ Catholics Excerpt: A Vatican reporter on keeping the faith amid the Catholic Church’s scandals Struck Down, Not Destroyed: Keeping the Faith as a Vatican Reporter by Colleen Dulle Credits: Production and engineering: Kevin Christopher Robles Executive producer: Sebastian Gomes Inside the Vatican is a production of America Media. Support our podcast—become a digital subscriber to America Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Father Robert Prevost, O.S.A., has long been recognized as a bridge builder—a pastor who listens deeply, builds consensus, and seeks unity without imposing authority. In the third and final episode of our first-ever “Inside the Vatican” Deep Dive series on Pope Leo XIV, we follow his extraordinary journey—from his early years as pastor and formator in northern Peru to the chair of St. Peter. Pope Leo’s ministry in Peru was marked by his dedication to empowering lay leaders and nurturing vibrant communities amid challenging circumstances. After returning to the United States, he served briefly as provincial of the Augustinians in the Midwest before being elected prior general, leading the order worldwide from Rome for over a decade. During this time, his bridge-building leadership caught the attention of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, who would later become Pope Francis. In 2014, Pope Francis appointed Prevost as bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, where he served for eight years. Before ultimately calling him back to Rome in 2023 to lead the Dicastery for Bishops, Francis made him a cardinal and then elevated him to cardinal-bishop—the highest rank in the College of Cardinals—paving the way for his election as Pope Leo XIV. Many pin their hopes on him to renew a polarized church. Studying Robert Francis Prevost—as a priest and canon lawyer, Augustinian prior general, bishop, cardinal, and Vatican prefect—reveals who he has become, what his priorities might be, and how he may choose to lead the Catholic Church’s 1.4 billion faithful today. In this episode, you’ll hear from: Arthur Purcaro, O.S.A. – Augustinian priest who worked with Pope Leo XIV in Peru and later served on his order’s leadership council when Prevost was Prior General. Christopher White – Author of Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy (Loyola Press, 2025) and former Vatican correspondent for National Catholic Reporter. Emilce Cuda – Argentine theologian and Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. Julia Oseka – Student at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and one of the youngest voting members of the Synod on Synodality. Socorro Cassaro Novoa – Lay leader from Monserrate community in Trujillo, Peru, where Pope Leo XIV helped establish the parish and served as first administrator. Nila Ruiz Gonzales – Lay leader from Santa María community in Trujillo, Peru, where Pope Leo XIV directed the Augustinian formation house and served as pastor. Read: "⁠Who is Pope Leo? 5 surprising things I learned while reporting on Robert Prevost,⁠" by Colleen Dulle: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2025/07/10/who-pope-leo-robert-prevost-251107 Help shape the future of the show—take our end-of-season listener survey. If you want to hear more deep dives like this, please support this podcast by becoming a digital subscriber to America Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Father Robert Prevost’s early years in Peru shaped his ministry and vision for the church—but few know the brutal reality he encountered there in the 1980s and 1990s. In this second episode of our “Inside the Vatican” Deep Dive series on Pope Leo XIV, we follow the future pope to northern Peru. He first served in Chulucanas as a canon lawyer, helping establish the new diocese after its elevation from an apostolic prelature. Following a brief return to Rome to defend his doctoral thesis, he came back to Peru as a formator for diocesan and Augustinian seminarians and as a pastor in Trujillo. There, he and his fellow Augustinians ministered amid escalating violence and an approaching dictatorship—an experience that shaped the man who now leads the global Catholic Church. Peru in the late 1980s and early 90s was torn by conflict but also strangely alive with hope. The Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) and MRTA (Movimiento Revolucionario Túpac Amaru), two violent rebel groups, terrorized communities while economic collapse paved the way for Alberto Fujimori’s authoritarian rule. Amid it all, Father Prevost and the Augustinians in Northern Peru pioneered a new model of parish life. They opened a formation house for young men discerning religious life with the order and helped staff parishes, establishing new chapels and parish communities. They divided sprawling parishes into small zones led by lay teams responsible for prayer, outreach and community life. Two women who worked with him describe how this model empowered the local community. His ministry in Peru didn’t just shape parish structures; it shaped him—teaching him to lead with humility, courage and deep concern for the marginalized. In this episode, you’ll hear from: - John Lydon, O.S.A. – Augustinian priest and friend of Pope Leo, with whom he served in parish and formation ministry in Trujillo, Peru - Socorro Cassaro Novoa – Lay leader from the Monserrate community in Trujillo, Peru, where Pope Leo helped establish Nuestra Señora de Monserrate parish and served from 1992 to 1999 - Nila Ruiz Gonzales – Lay leader from the Santa María community in Trujillo, Peru, where Pope Leo XIV directed the Augustinian formation house and served as pastor in the 1980s and 90s And don’t forget to come back for the final episode in this series. Read: "⁠Who is Pope Leo? 5 surprising things I learned while reporting on Robert Prevost,⁠" by Colleen Dulle: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2025/07/10/who-pope-leo-robert-prevost-251107 Help shape the future of the show—take our ⁠end-of-season listener survey⁠. If you want to hear more deep dives like this, please support this podcast by becoming a digital subscriber to America Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No one expected a pope from the U.S. In this first-ever “Inside the Vatican” Deep Dive series, those who know him best reveal who Pope Leo XIV—“the American pope”—really is. Across three episodes, we trace his vocation from Chicago’s South Side through his formative years as an Augustinian friar in the Midwest; training as a canon lawyer in Rome; early ministry in Peru as canon lawyer, priest and formator of future friars and diocesan priests; leadership of the Augustinian Order worldwide; a return to Peru as bishop; and, finally, to the Vatican—first as cardinal and now as pope. In this first episode, host Colleen Dulle takes listeners from the electrifying moment of his announcement as Pope Leo XIV to a discovery uncovered by a genealogist in New Orleans: just two generations ago, census records listed his family as “Black” or “mulatto,” revealing deep Louisiana roots and a history of enslavement. But we consider far more than his family tree. We hear about his childhood, seminary years shaped by Vatican II and insights from his brothers and friends in the Augustinian Order that reveal the deep-listening, community-focused approach that defined the ministry of the man then known as Robert Prevost. In this episode, you’ll hear from: - Jari C. Honora, genealogist and family historian at the Historic New Orleans Collection - Dianne Bergant, C.S.A., Professor Emerita of Old Testament Studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, who taught Pope Leo. - John Merkelis, O.S.A., Augustinian priest and lifelong friend of Pope Leo - Arthur Purcaro, O.S.A., Augustinian priest, friend and missionary who worked alongside him in Trujillo, Peru And don’t forget to come back for the next two episodes in this series. Read: "Who is Pope Leo? 5 surprising things I learned while reporting on Robert Prevost," by Colleen Dulle: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2025/07/10/who-pope-leo-robert-prevost-251107 Help shape the future of the show—take our ⁠end-of-season listener survey⁠. If you want to hear more deep dives like this, please support this podcast by becoming a  digital subscriber to America Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Your feedback helps us grow! Take our end-of-season survey and help shape the future of Inside the Vatican. Check our website for show notes and related links Support our podcast—become a digital subscriber to America Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Find full show notes and related links on our ⁠⁠website⁠⁠ Support our podcast—become a ⁠⁠digital subscriber to America Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Find full show notes and related links on our ⁠website⁠ Support our podcast—become a ⁠⁠⁠digital subscriber to America Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Find full show notes and related links on our website Support our podcast—become a ⁠⁠digital subscriber to America Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Find full show notes and related links on our website Support our podcast—become a ⁠digital subscriber to America Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.” Find full show notes and related links on our website Support our podcast—become a digital subscriber to America Media. 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 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

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

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

Do we really trust the Holy Spirit to guide the election of a pope? What does that trust feel like? Are we hopeful or fearful for what is to come? Why does it feel so hard to pray in Rome sometimes?  The cardinals have asked for our prayers repeatedly in the run-up to the conclave. While they are sequestered away on the second day of conclave, Sebastian Gomes, Ashley McKinless, Zac Davis and J.D. Long García talk about what their prayer has been like while covering the lead-up to the conclave. Read more: Conclave watch: Which cardinals are likely contenders? Sign up for America’s subscriber-exclusive “Conclave Diary” daily newsletter and get all of our extensive coverage at: ⁠⁠AmericaMagazine.org/Subscribe 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 from Rome, the team discusses: The protocols being followed by the cardinals in conclave The “habemus papam” moment, what the pope wears and other telling symbolic gestures  What happens in the days immediately following the election of a pope? This episode features: Sam Sawyer, S.J., America’s editor in chief Colleen Dulle, co-host of America’s “Inside the Vatican” podcast David Gibson, director of Fordham University’s Center for Religion and Culture 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:  Cardinal Re’s pre-conclave homily: ‘Love is the only force capable of changing the world.’ Conclave: Everything you need to know about electing a new pope What time will we see black or white smoke? Past conclaves give clues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to America magazine’s Conclave Podcast. In today’s episode from Rome, the team discusses the frontrunners entering the conclave, and explains how the voting could quickly confirm papabile lists or pivot to an unexpected candidate. Featuring: Gerard O’Connell, America’s Vatican correspondent and author of The Election of Pope Francis: An Inside Account of the Conclave that Changed History Colleen Dulle, co-host of the “Inside the Vatican” podcast Sam Sawyer, S.J., editor in chief of America Read more at: https://www.americamagazine.org 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 from Rome, the team discusses: Final preparations for the conclave, including additional meetings for the cardinals President Trump’s A.I. pope image Covering the conclave for secular media, with NPR’s Scott Detrow The quirky procedures and protocols of the conclave, with Religion News Service’s Thomas Reese, S.J. This episode features: 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 Scott Detrow, weekend host of “All Things Considered,” and a co-host of the “Consider This” podcast. Thomas Reese, S.J., senior analyst at Religion News Service 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: ⁠⁠Conclave: Everything you need to know about electing a new pope⁠⁠ ⁠⁠‘God is not mocked’: US Catholic leaders criticize Trump’s AI pope meme⁠⁠ ⁠⁠The conclave is a referendum on synodality⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Interview: Cardinal Müller on if Pope Francis was a heretic and what he wants in the next pope⁠⁠ ⁠⁠The pope is not the point⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices