This week’s “Inside the Vatican” is all about Pope Francis’ trip to sub-Saharan Africa. First, Gerry will give us some context on the three nations the pope visited: Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius. What sets these nations apart? Then, we’ll talk about what Pope Francis’ goals were for this visit: what issues and people he wanted to highlight, and why. Finally, Gerry and I will unpack the pope’s comments about his critics aboard the papal plane. “I am honored when the Americans attack me,” ...
Sep 11, 2019•20 min
This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and I update you on who Pope Francis has chosen to make cardinals next month. The surprise announcement came after the pope was stuck in an elevator for 25 minutes! In this episode, we break down who has been chosen for a red hat, and what these selections tell us about the pope’s priorities. Next, we talk about the fires that have raged in the Amazon rainforest and the tension that is growing between the Catholic church in Brazil and the Bolsonaro admini...
Sep 04, 2019•20 min
This week on “Inside the Vatican,” we’ll talk about the pope’s address to a group of theologians in Naples, which included a call for online learning opportunities for refugees who want to study theology. Then, we’ll update you on Cardinal Pell’s appeal case in Australia, and what awaits him after a decision is made. What effect will the civil court’s decision have on his church investigation? Next, we ask: What does the pope do on vacation? Finally, since it’s our last episode before our summer...
Jun 27, 2019•18 min
This week on Inside the Vatican, we talk about the U.S. bishops’ new resolutions on sexual abuse. How does the USCCB compare to other bishops conferences around the world? Then, we take a look at a new document prepared for the synod on the Amazon region, that officially introduces the possibility of ordaining married men. What are the implications for the rest of the church? And, what other findings in the document might we have overlooked? Links: Vatican will discuss ordaining married men as p...
Jun 20, 2019•19 min
This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and I unpack a the most comprehensive Vatican document on gender identity yet. The document, which was released by the Congregation for Education, seeks to address what it calls “an educational crisis” surrounding sexuality and gender. Why is it so important? And what have transgender Catholics in the United States said about it? Then, we htalk about what’s on the table at the U.S. bishops’ meeting, happening this week. Does Rome pay attention to these na...
Jun 13, 2019•19 min
Introducing the Jesuitical podcast from America Media. This week, while Colleen and Gerry are out, the Jesuitical hosts interview Hans Zollner, S.J. Father Zollner has dedicated his life to protecting children from the horrific crime of sexual abuse. A psychologist and Jesuit priest, he has guided the church’s efforts to bring healing to survivors and to prevent such abuse from happening again. Father Zollner meets regularly with survivors and as one of the organizers of the Vatican summit on se...
Jun 06, 2019•14 min
This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and I discuss the first four women to be named to the Vatican’s office for synods. We talk about who these women are, how women’s involvement in Vatican leadership is changing, and what positions may be opened to women next. Then, we unpack the most recent developments in the case of former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. After the Archdiocese of New York found credible accusations that McCarrick had abused a minor, heated debate began over who knew what whe...
May 30, 2019•21 min
This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and I unpack a recent confrontation between the Italian bishops and the pope, which came after the bishops failed to implement the pope’s 2015 annulment reforms. We talk about what those reforms were, and what this tells us about the way the Vatican is able to enforce change. Then, we talk economics. Whenever Pope Francis discusses the economy, it sets off cries that the pope is a socialist or a communist. So this week, we ask: Is the pope a socialist? Wh...
May 23, 2019•14 min
This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and I explain why the papal almoner climbed down a manhole this weekend to illegally restore electricity to 450 homeless people squatting in a building in Rome. We also explain who the papal almoner is, and how the job has changed under Pope Francis. Last week, the pope met with the group of women religious who first asked him about ordaining women to the diaconate in 2016. We talk through what he told them, then take a step back to consider how things ha...
May 16, 2019•20 min
This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and I talk about three stories from Pope Francis’ trip to Bulgaria and North Macedonia. We’ll talk about what he did on that trip, as well as two stories he commented on during a press conference aboard the papal plane. The first of those is the death of “living saint” Jean Vanier, who founded L’arche, the communities where people with abilities and disabilities live together. I ask Gerry about the pope’s relationship to Mr. Vanier and more. Next, we talk...
May 09, 2019•23 min
This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and I update you on the situation in Sri Lanka following a series of explosions in churches and hotels there on Easter Sunday. Then, we’ll talk about the new editorial board of Women Church World. Will the new editor in charge have more freedom? And finally, we’ll talk through some big reforms Pope Francis has planned for the Roman Curia. What is a super dicastery and what does it tell us about the pope's priorities? This episode was brought to you by the...
May 02, 2019•16 min
This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and I talk briefly about the horrific fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Then, we’ll update you on Pope Francis kissing the feet of South Sudanese leaders, and the importance of gestures like this one. We’ll also talk about a new letter from Pope Emeritus Benedict that addressed the sexual abuse crisis. We go through some of the questions that journalists are raising about the circumstances under which the letter was written and distributed. Finally, ...
Apr 18, 2019•19 min
This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerard O’Connell and I update you on Cardinal Sarah’s recent comments on migrants, which strike a different tone from what we’ve come to expect from Pope Francis. We also discuss why Pope Francis prefers to have advisors who disagree with him on some issues. Then, Gerry and I will tell you about an international human rights delegation that visited the Vatican asking for support for the decriminalization of homosexuality. It’s not clear if the Holy See will mee...
Apr 11, 2019•21 min
This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerard O’Connell and I take a look at the joint appeal Pope Francis signed with King Mohammed VI of Morocco to keep the city of Jerusalem and its holy sites open to people of all faiths. Then, we unpack some of our main takeaways from Pope Francis’ new apostolic exhortation on young people, “Christus Vivit.” We’ll also look at some criticism of the document and discuss the importance of looking at the entirety of documents like this one, rather than skipping ov...
Apr 04, 2019•18 min
On the last episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry O’Connell and I brought you an interview with Lucetta Scaraffia, the editor of Women Church World, a monthly magazine that comes out with the Vatican’s daily newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano. On Tuesday, March 26, she and the entire staff of Women Church World resigned in protest of what they saw as attempts by the new editor of the Osservatore Romano to undermine their publication. So this week, Gerry and I take a look at why Ms. Scaraffia resig...
Mar 28, 2019•20 min
Gerry’s out this week, so instead of following our usual format, this week we’re breaking out of the weekly news cycle to bring you an interview about a slow change that’s beginning for some really important people in the Vatican: Women. Lucetta Scaraffia is the editor of Women Church World. Women Church World is the monthly magazine that comes as an insert in the Vatican’s newspaper. Gerry and I met Lucetta when I was in Rome for the abuse summit. Since Lucetta doesn’t speak English and I don’t...
Mar 21, 2019•12 min
This week, we’ll update you on Cardinal Pell and several other high-profile cases of abuse. We’ll also talk about Pope Francis’ sixth anniversary as pope. Cardinal Pell was sentenced to six years in prison. He’ll be eligible for parole in three years and eight months, and he plans to appeal the ruling altogether in June. We'll look at his legacy as a reformer of Vatican finances as well as his recent conviction. We'll also look at several new cases that might show us how authorities inside and o...
Mar 14, 2019•19 min
This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry O’Connell and I update you on what has been happening since the sexual abuse summit. First, we take a look at the handbook that the Vatican is putting together on how to handle cases of sexual abuse, and how to put the proper structures in place in each diocese. Gerry and I also examine why Pope Francis is opting for a slower pace of reform—and whether this route can be more effective in the long run in preventing the abuse of minors and vulnerable adults...
Mar 07, 2019•19 min
We talk a lot on this show about the church’s sexual abuse crisis, and while Gerry and I try to break down what’s new, we don’t often get to talk about the problems that are at the root of this scandal—or how hearing these stories over and over affects our own faith. Thankfully, there’s a new podcast from America Media that explores all of these questions. It’s called “Deliver Us.” Its host, Maggi Van Dorn, is a young Catholic reckoning with the abuse crisis. She interviews abuse survivors, expe...
Feb 27, 2019•33 min
This week on “Inside the Vatican” Gerry and I are in Rome covering the sexual abuse summit. So this week’s episode might sound a little different—you’ll hear the sounds of Rome, and some of the interviews that Gerry and I have been doing while we’re here. We’ll talk about the surprises that came out of Pope Francis’ opening address to the summit, what happened on Thursday and what we can expect from the rest of the summit. Learn More: Pope Francis presents 21-point “road map” to guide discussion...
Feb 22, 2019•17 min
This week on Inside the Vatican, we’ll fill you in on Cardinal Muller’s recent manifesto, along with updates on the McCarrick case, preparations for next week’s summit on sexual abuse, and information on a bombshell book that threatens to overshadow that summit. “In the Closet of the Vatican” is a salacious new 571-page book that’s expected to be released on the first day of the Vatican’s summit on sexual abuse and the protection of minors. It’s by a French journalist, Frederic Martel, who claim...
Feb 13, 2019•18 min
This week, Pope Francis visited Abu Dhabi to meet with religious leaders at the Global Inter-Religious Meeting on Human Fraternity, a conference aimed at combating religious extremism. Where the pope chooses to visit will always be significant. But what makes this trip different from, say, his trip to Panama that we talked about in the last episode of “Inside the Vatican,” is that this is the first time a pope has visited the Arabian Peninsula. And by all accounts, it seems to have been a succes...
Feb 07, 2019•16 min
Whenever Pope Francis goes on a trip somewhere around the world, he usually invites journalists to join him on the papal plane, and he’ll spend a few minutes taking questions from them. Pretty much every subject is on the table, and some of the pope’s most famous quotes have come from these impromptu press conferences—like his “Who am I to judge” comment about gay priests. But since he’s speaking off the cuff, it’s often up to journalists on board the plane, like Gerry, to translate his comments...
Jan 30, 2019•15 min
This week on “Inside the Vatican” we look at why the Vatican seems to be lowering expectations for its upcoming international summit on sexual abuse. Then, we talk about World Youth Day, which is being held in Panama this week. Gerry has covered every World Youth Day since the inaugural one in 1985, and he explains how the young people at this event have had a significant impact on their bishops, and even on popes. We also look at how Pope Francis is empowering young people and local churches by...
Jan 23, 2019•14 min
This week on “Inside the Vatican,” we explore the topic of women deacons. We feature some clips from America’s exclusive interview with two members of the Vatican’s commission to research women deacons in the early church. Then, Rome correspondent Gerry O’Connell and I unpack what Pope Francis might do next with the commission's research. In the second half of the show, we look at three recent developments in the case of former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, whose alleged sexual abuse is being inv...
Jan 16, 2019•18 min
As 2019 begins, all eyes in the Vatican are turned towards the upcoming summit on sexual abuse, and recent weeks have brought a number of stories that reveal how Pope Francis aims to lead the church on this issue. First, the Vatican confirmed this past weekend that it is investigating a third accusation of abuse against Archbishop Theodore McCarrick. On “Inside the Vatican” this week, Gerry O’Connell and I look at how—and why—the Vatican is expediting that investigation. Next, we examine the Ame...
Jan 09, 2019•15 min
This week before “Inside the Vatican” goes on break, we are giving you a round-up of this year’s top Vatican news—and digging into the questions that remain about these stories going into the new year. We examine whether Pope Francis’ document on holiness “Gaudete et Exsultate” has had an impact beyond its short appearance in the news cycle. We also look at the open questions from this year’s sexual abuse scandals in both the United States in Chile—and ask when those questions might finally be a...
Dec 12, 2018•22 min
This week on “Inside the Vatican,” we look at Pope Francis’ recent comments about homosexuality and religious life. His new book on consecrated life, “The Strength of a Vocation,” is based on a long interview and Pope Francis has a number of quotations that have made headlines around the world. “The issue of homosexuality is a very serious issue that we need to adequately discern right from the start with the candidates, if that’s the case,” Pope Francis said. “In consecrated life and in priestl...
Dec 05, 2018•15 min
This week on “Inside the Vatican,” we take a look at the newly announced committee that will plan the Vatican’s upcoming, high-stakes summit on sexual abuse. One committee member, Cardinal Oswald Gracias of India, told Crux in October that the meeting “will be successful, or it will be a disaster for the Church.” So, can it succeed in creating lasting change? In this week’s episode, we try to answer that question by looking at the plans for the meeting. It will have a structure similar to the la...
Nov 28, 2018•17 min
Full show notes and related articles: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2018/11/21/has-catholic-infighting-gotten-worse Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 21, 2018•13 min
