Inside The Vatican

Pope Francis traveled to Cyprus and Greece from December 2-6, casting a spotlight on two nations that receive tens of thousands of migrants and refugees each year. On his flight from Rome to Cyprus, Pope Francis told journalists that he was making the trip to “touch the wounds of humanity.”America’s Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell was among the reporters traveling with the pope. This week on “Inside the Vatican,” he speaks with host Colleen Dulle about the experience, and how Pope Francis was visibly moved by seeing the barbed-wire-topped wall that has divided the Cypriot capitol of Nicosia into an independent half and a Turkish-controlled half since 1973.The pope’s goals for this trip included delivering a message of hope to the divided country, encouraging the small Catholic population in the region, bridging divisions with the Greek Orthodox community who make up the majority of these nations’ believers, and speaking out about threats to democracy while visiting democracy’s birthplace.Gerry also describes visiting a migrant reception center on the Greek island of Lesbos, where Pope Francis delayed his meeting with the president by 30 minutes, instead opting to walk and greet the asylum seekers living in the camp. The Holy See is expected to host 50 refugees from Cyprus after the trip and sponsor their resettlement in Italy.Links from the show:In Cyprus, Pope Francis has a message for all of Europe: We need dialogue and open doors—not walls.Pope Francis: Don’t let ‘small-t traditions’ divide Catholic and Orthodox ChristiansFull text of Pope Francis’ speech in NicosiaPope Francis in Greece: ‘We are witnessing a retreat from democracy.’Pope Francis in Lesbos: The root causes of the migration crisis ‘should be attacked,’ not migrants (Full Text)Pope Francis: ‘I accepted the resignation of the archbishop of Paris not on the altar of truth but on the altar of hypocrisy’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Papal biographer Austen Ivereigh covered and participated in the Latin American ecclesial assembly in Mexico City last week. It was the first meeting of its kind, bringing together about 1,000 bishops, priests, religious and lay people to discuss the region’s pastoral needs in a synodal way.On “Inside the Vatican,” Austen joins host Colleen Dulle to discuss his experience at the meeting and what lessons the Latin American church can teach the rest of the world about synodality.Colleen and Austen also discuss how this assembly built on the last meeting of the Latin American and Caribbean bishops in Aparecida, Brazil in 2007. “Aparecida calls for missionary pastoral conversion; it calls for the Church to realize that Christianity is no longer spread through law and culture, that we have to go back to, as it were, the early church understanding, which is that we’ve had an experience of encounter with Christ, and therefore, everything we do as a church needs to be about facilitating that encounter,” Austen explained.Pope Francis was a key player in the Aparecida meeting and hoped that this year’s Latin American ecclesial assembly would revive its legacy. Austen describes why the implementation of Aparecida wasn’t as far-reaching as originally hoped and how, despite that, the Latin American church remains a worldwide leader in synodality.Links from the show:Crux: Pope Francis calls for ‘prayer and dialogue’ as Latin American Ecclesial Assembly opensVatican News (Spanish): La Iglesia es líder en la sinodalidad con diversos métodos de escuchaNational Catholic Reporter: First of its kind assembly to address future of Latin American Catholic Church Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. bishops approved their long-awaited and much-debated document on the Eucharist at their November meeting last week. This week on “Inside the Vatican,” America’s national correspondent Michael O’Loughlin, who covered the meeting in Baltimore, joins Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell and host Colleen Dulle for a conversation about what the bishops decided and what the Vatican hopes they will do next.Listen and subscribe to “Inside the Vatican” on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.The final document, which passed with an overwhelming 222 votes, focused primarily on the theology of the Eucharist and only made oblique reference to pro-choice politicians. But the bishops stepping back from a contentious debate in favor of unifying around the pastoral need they see for better catechesis on the Eucharist was the kind of show of unity the Vatican had hoped to see, Gerry said on the podcast.In the second half of the show, the panel discusses Vatican officials’ interventions at the bishops’ meeting. Their messages on synodality and sexual abuse, paired with a message Pope Francis shared with the Italian bishops’ meeting this week, paint a picture of a Vatican that is relieved at the resolution to the ‘communion wars’ and hopes to see the bishops unify around other issues.Links from the show:Debate over the Eucharist and pro-choice politicians ends in a whimper at bishops’ meetingLeaked draft of bishops’ document on Communion lacks explicit reference to pro-choice politiciansInside the Vatican: Eucharistic revival or Communion war? How politics and the pandemic are framing a debate among U.S. bishopsPope Francis shares 8 Beatitudes for Bishops, giving a model for the 21st-century pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pope Francis lavished praise on several reporters this week, awarding Televisa’s Valentina Alazraki and Reuters’ Phil Pullela papal knighthoods on Saturday, and praising America’s Michael J. O’Loughlin’s research into Catholic responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in a letter published Monday.But Pope Francis’ relationship with the press wasn’t always so friendly. Before he became pope, “you could count on two hands all the interviews he'd given in his life,” veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell explains on this week’s “Inside the Vatican.”On this week’s episode, Gerry and host Colleen Dulle take a look at how the pope’s relationship with the media has changed over time and examine the vision of the media that Pope Francis laid out in his speech to Vatican journalists this weekend.Links from the show:Pope Francis’ 3 tips for journalists todayRead Pope Francis’ speech to journalistsPope Francis thanks America’s Michael J. O’Loughlin for reporting on Catholic responses to H.I.V./AIDSInside the Vatican: Pope Francis thanks author for book on LGBT Catholics and the AIDS crisisInside the Vatican: Eucharistic revival or Communion war? How politics and the pandemic are framing a debate among U.S. bishops Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pope Francis sent a letter to America’s national correspondent, Michael J. O’Loughlin, thanking him for his research on the interactions between the Catholic Church and the gay community—and the stories of many gay Catholics—at the heights of the AIDS epidemic. O'Loughlin recently published his research in a new book called “Hidden Mercy: AIDS, Catholics, and the Untold Stories of Compassion in the Face of Fear,” which follows up on America Media's podcast: “Plague: Untold Stories of AIDS and the Catholic Church.”“Thank you for shining a light on the lives and bearing witness to the many priests, religious sisters and lay people, who opted to accompany, support and help their brothers and sisters who were sick from HIV and AIDS at great risk to their profession and reputation,” the pope wrote to O'Loughin.On this bonus episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Mike joins host Colleen Dulle to discuss the pope’s letter and its significance, along with Mike’s research into the stories behind the Vatican’s response to the AIDS crisis.Links from the show:How the Catholic Worker Movement inspired one couple to open their doors to people with AIDSOrder Hidden Mercy: AIDS, Catholics, and the Untold Stories of Compassion in the Face of FearListen to Plague: Untold Stories of AIDS and the Catholic Church, or subscribe on your podcast app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. bishops’ debate over whether pro-choice policians like President Joseph R. Biden should be allowed to receive communion has been raging for over a year now. After the bishops’ meeting last November, the bishops created a sub-committee aimed at addressing the challenges of working with a Catholic, pro-choice president.Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, president of the U.S. bishops conference, informed the Vatican in March that the working group had decided to draft a document on “Eucharistic coherence,” and Cardinal Luis Ladaria, prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, responded in a letter telling the bishops that their document should not focus solely on politicians, and advising them to engage in dialogue with one another and with the politicians the bishops would be writing about.The Vatican’s effort to temper the bishops’ statement appears to have been successful: a leaked draft of the document lacked any explicit reference to pro-choice politicians, focusing instead on the idea of a Eucharistic revivial and a restatement of Eucharistic theology.On this deep dive episode of “Inside the Vatican,” producer Maggi Van Dorn and host Colleen Dulle dig into the history of the U.S. bishops’ engagement with political issues and give some background on today’s “Communion wars” and the calls for a “Eucharistic revival.” They ask: If no one can win the “communion wars,” does everyone lose?Links from the show:Leaked draft of bishops’ document on Communion lacks explicit reference to pro-choice politiciansCan the U.S. bishops be saved from partisan politics?Explainer: Why the Eucharist is confusing for many Catholics (and survey researchers)No one can win the Communion wars over abortionPope Francis: ‘I have never denied Communion to anyone.’Archishop Aquila: For the church to live in eucharistic coherence, we must be willing to challenge Catholics persisting in grave sin.Bishop McElroy: The Eucharist is being weaponized for political ends. This must not happen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pope Francis met with President Biden, President Moon of Korea and Prime Minister Modi from India last week, and in all of the conversations, one subject came up: Climate change.Many of the world leaders who were in Rome for the G20 summit of the world’s largest economies have now continued on to Glasgow, Scotland for the UN’s climate summit, COP26, which runs through Nov. 12.This week on “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell unpack Pope Francis’ message to the leaders at COP26 and how the pope understands his role in the climate movement.Then, Colleen and Gerry turn their sights to the U.S. church. Two recent studies paint the image of a church hierarchy that is disconnected from pew-sitters: A 2020 Princeton analysis showed how “Laudato Si” helped convince American Catholics that climate change is an important issue that carries a moral imperative, and 2021 Creighton analysis revealed that “Laudato Si” was largely ignored by American bishops.Links from the show:Pope Francis’ COP26 message: ‘There is no time to waste’ on climate changePope Francis on BBC Radio: We need ‘a genuine moment of conversion’ on climate changeMeet the Catholic map lady who wants to help Pope Francis fight climate change—if the Vatican will let her.Podcast: How ‘Laudato Si’’ changed U.S. Catholics’ minds on climate change Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. met with Pope Francis in a highly anticipated meeting at the Vatican. The two leaders spoke privately for 75 minutes, which is unusually long compared to other meetings between the pope and heads of state.Details of the private meeting were not released, but the Vatican said the two leaders discussed their joint commitment to the protection and care of the planet, healthcare and the fight against Covid, refugees and assistance to migrants, the protection of human rights, the international situation leading up to the G20 summit, and the promotion of peace in the world through political negotiation.Following the meeting, President Biden said that the pope told him he is a “good Catholic” and encouraged him to continue receiving Communion.Read:Biden says Pope Francis told him to ‘keep receiving Communion’Pope Francis and Joe Biden enjoy unusually long meeting at the VaticanWhich president met the most popes? Who gave the weirdest gift? A brief history of U.S.-Vatican encounters.Watch:What President Biden said to Pope Francis at the Vatican Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pope Francis is expected to meet with U.S President Joseph R. Biden, Korean President Moon Jae-in and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week while the leaders are in Rome for the G20 summit. So, what happens when a pope meets a president?On this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell and host Colleen Dulle explain the formal steps of an “official visit” between a head of state and the pope. Then, Colleen and Gerry dig into the specific issues that President Biden, President Moon and Prime Minister Modi are likely to bring up with Pope Francis.At the end of the episode, Gerry and Colleen discuss why the pope is no longer attending the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, and Colleen gives an update on Pope Francis’ recently-announced trip to Canada.Links from the show:Joe Biden to meet Pope Francis at the Vatican on Oct. 29Joe Biden is taking a page from Ronald Reagan’s playbook in his meeting with Pope FrancisPope Francis agrees to Canada trip to help reconciliation efforts with Indigenous peoples Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This weekend, Pope Francis gave a speech to grassroots activists that some are already calling an important contribution to Catholic Social Teaching. At America, we called it “Pope Francis’ 9 commandments for a just economy.” The pope called on everyone from tech giants to arms manufacturers to stop their destructive and extractive behaviors and instead put their energy toward activities that would build up a better post-Covid society.In the same talk, a video message sent to the “popular movements”–grassroots activist groups around the world–the pope called Black Lives Matter activists “collective Samaritans” and called for a shortened work week. On this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell contextualize the pope’s comments and explain how his relationship with grassroots activists differs from past popes’.In the second half of the show, Colleen is joined by America O’Hare Fellow Doug Girardot. In the last month, Colleen and Doug contacted every diocese in America to find out what they had planned for the recently launched global “synod on synodality.” The two discuss their findings, their experience reporting the story, and their unexpected appreciation for Eastern Catholic eparchies.Links from the show:Pope Francis’ 9 commandments for a just economyRead Pope Francis’ full address to the popular movementsWe contacted every diocese in the U.S. about their synod plans. Here’s what we found. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices