Many in the Vatican have kept a close eye on the U.S. presidential election, held Nov. 3. This week on “Inside the Vatican,” hosts Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell discuss what advantages and disadvantages each candidate offers in the eyes of Holy See officials.

The U.S. election comes amid a surge in coronavirus cases in Italy. Over the weekend, Italy saw more than 30,000 new cases per day, up from the previous peak of 5,000 per day in March. Gerry gives an update on restrictions in Italy and the Vatican, and the hosts discuss how the Vatican plans to approach two major upcoming events: the consistory to create new cardinals in late November and the pope’s traditional Christmas Mass.

Finally, Colleen and Gerry discuss a memo from the Vatican’s Secretariat of State briefing ambassadors on Pope Francis’ widely-publicized comments on civil unions for same-sex couples.

Correction: Describing Pope Francis' civil union comments, Gerry said they came from a 2018 interview. The interview was given in 2019.

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Vatican breaks silence, explains Pope Francis’ civil union comments

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What the Vatican thinks of the U.S. election