Inside The Vatican

Pope Francis’ trip to Iraq, scheduled for March 5-8, has been thrown into further question in recent days. Following the discovery of the new UK-based strain of the novel coronavirus, Iraqi authorities closed businesses and places of worship, including those where the pope was expected to hold events during his visit.A rocket attack near the Erbil airport on Feb. 15 has also heightened security concerns, as the pope was expected to meet leaders from Iraqi Kurdistan at the airport and depart from there for Rome. Despite the concerns, the Vatican insists that the trip is going forward.This week on “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell look at the challenges of planning this papal trip. “When I asked some people in the Vatican, ‘Well, how is this going to be possible with the lockdown?’ They said, well, you know, there's always an exception to a rule,” Gerry said.Gerry and Colleen also give updates on the church’s involvement in protests in Myanmar, Pope Francis’ praise for a new Colombian law granting protections to Venezuelan refugees, and the plans for Ash Wednesday services in the Vatican.Links from the show:Iraq announces Covid-19 restrictions ahead of papal tripCardinal Charles Maung Bo on TwitterAmerica Magazine’s documentary on Venezuelan refugeesAmerica Magazine’s Lent 2021 Reflections, podcasts and more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the first time, a woman will have the right to vote in the Synod of Bishops.Sister Nathalie Becquart, a Xaviere sister, became the first woman to be named undersecretary of the Vatican’s Synod of Bishops, a position previously reserved to bishops. As is customary for the undersecretary, Sister Becquart is expected to be a voting member of the 2022 synod. Until now, women have been barred from voting in synods.This week on “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell explain the significance of Sister Becquart’s appointment and what it could mean for future synods. As for whether other women could be able to vote in upcoming synods, Gerry said, “I think we may even see that in the synod on synodality. It is under consideration.”Colleen and Gerry also discuss Pope Francis’ trip to Iraq, which was confirmed this week, and his address to the world’s ambassadors to the Vatican. The pope described seven global crises that have been worsened by the coronavirus pandemic and said the “crisis of politics” underlies them all.Links from the show:Gerard O’Connell | For the first time, Pope Francis appoints a woman with the right to vote as undersecretary of the synod of bishopsColleen Dulle | Why can’t women vote at the Synod on Young People?Gerard O’Connell | Pope Francis offers a roadmap for overcoming the pandemic—and the 7 other crises it exposedPope Francis: In 2021, vaccines, fraternity and hope are the medicine we need.Full text of Pope Francis’ address to the diplomatic corps Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pope Francis made clear this week that he was keeping a close eye on the divisions in the U.S. church, which showed up most recently in the controversy over Archbishop Jose H. Gomez’s statement on the inauguration of President Joseph R. Biden. The statement was seen as being inappropriately confrontational by the Vatican, and stateside sparked responses both of support and opposition among other bishops.Cardinal Blase Cupich, who said on Twitter that the statement had not followed the bishops’ conference’s protocol, met with Pope Francis on Saturday. Though it is unclear what the two men talked about, it is evident that the Vatican went out of its way to publicize the fact that the meeting happened. America’s Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell also reported on Saturday that the pope had been briefed on the back and forth over the statement.This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and host Colleen Dulle discuss Pope Francis’ strategy for bringing the bishops together in spite of their differences. “You know its defects better than I do,” the pope said to a group of American journalists this week, but “I look at the U.S. church with hope.”In the second part of the show, Colleen and Gerry look at Cardinal Bo’s efforts to advocate nonviolence in Myanmar following that country’s military coup this week. Colleen and Gerry also give an update on the plans for Pope Francis’ scheduled trip to Iraq next month and what his scheduled meeting with Shiite Ayatollah Al-Sistani could mean for intra-Muslim relations.Links from the show:Inside the Vatican | Inside the U.S. bishops’ clash with the Vatican over Joe Biden’s InaugurationGerard O’Connell | Pope Francis meets with Cardinal Cupich, who criticized fellow U.S. bishops for confrontational approach to BidenCatholic News Service | Pope Francis talks Iraq trip, Catholic journalism and the church in U.S.Gerard O’Connell | The military again seize power in Myanmar despite pleas from Cardinal Bo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, the United States’ second Catholic president was sworn in. The day was tinged with controversy for some U.S. Catholics, though, when the president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, Archbishop José H. Gomez, issued a statement that was seen by the Vatican as being too confrontational towards the new president.This week on “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell look at explain the questions that have arisen around the controversial document: Is there a precedent for this type of statement on inauguration day? Did the Vatican really intervene to stop the bishops from publishing the statement, as one outlet reported? And were the proper protocols followed to gather the bishops’ input?Most importantly, what does the contrast between Pope Francis’ letter to President Biden and Archbishop Gomez’s statement reveal about divisions among the U.S. bishops and with the Vatican?Colleen and Gerry also give an update on Pope Francis’ recent sciatica flare-up, which caused him to miss three events this week.Links from the show:Gerard O’Connell | Pope Francis sends greeting to President Biden, contrasting with sharper message from head of U.S. bishopsIn rare rebuke, Cardinal Cupich criticizes USCCB president’s letter to President BidenHow Joe Biden’s Catholic faith will shape his relationship with Pope Francis—and the U.S. bishopsGerard O’Connell | Pope Francis will miss three events this week due to painful sciatica Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Vatican’s judicial system is entering a busy season: Soon, it will deliver a verdict in the trial of the former head of the Vatican Bank who was accused of embezzlement; it will hear the abuse trial of a former St. Peter’s Basilica altar server; and it’s expected to bring charges against a woman accused of embezzling more than 500,000 Euros from the Vatican while employed under Cardinal Angelo Becciu.This week, the Vatican dropped its effort to extradite the woman from Italy to Vatican City, which has raised questions about whether the extradition could stand: Some argue that her lawyers could have made the case against extradition because the woman was not guaranteed a fair trial in the Vatican.This week on “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell unpack this question: What makes the Vatican’s judicial system different from a modern democratic one, like Italy’s, and what are its pros and cons?The hosts also discuss Australia’s recent admission that it overestimated the amount of money transferred from the Vatican to Australia by $1.5 billion. Colleen and Gerry discuss how such a big blunder could have been made and what questions remain about the transfers.Links from the show:Gerard O’Connell | Australia admits $1.5 billion error in investigation into suspected Vatican money launderingCan defendants get a fair trial at the Vatican? The Vatican decides it doesn’t want to hear Italy’s answerInside the Vatican | The Vatican’s $200 million London real estate scandal, explained Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The eyes of the world were on the United States last week, when a group of insurrectionists supporting President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol building as Congress was certifying the results of last year’s presidential election. Pope Francis said he was “astounded” and denounced the violence and the movement that caused it.This week on “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell discuss Pope Francis’ challenge to the U.S. to overcome its divisions and how the U.S. bishops will need to step up in order to achieve that. “The church can't be missing in action in such a big crisis,” Gerry said.Colleen and Gerry also explain this week’s update to canon law which opens the permanent lay liturgical ministries of lector (reader) and acolyte (server) to women for the first time. For a more in-depth look at the change, check out Colleen’s explainer article here.Links from the show:Gerard O’Connell | Pope Francis condemns the violence at the U.S. CapitolGerard O’Connell | Pope Francis calls on Americans to promote reconciliation and protect democracy after the Capitol attackThe Editors | Impeach. Convict. Now.Fr. Bryan Massingale | The Racist Attack on Our Nation’s Capitol Fr. Bryan Massingale and Fr. Matt Malone, S.J. | Video: How to make spiritual sense of the attack on the CapitolArchbishop Mark Coleridge | Catholic bishops can’t risk falling back on old tactics of political engagementColleen Dulle | Explainer: The history of women lectors and altar servers—and what Pope Francis has changed Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Inside the Vatican’s 100th episode!This week, host Colleen Dulle and Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell celebrate their 100th episode, reminiscing on their favorite memories of the last two years of “Inside the Vatican.” They also give updates on Vatican City’s soon-to-arrive coronavirus vaccines and Pope Francis’ recent sciatica flare-up. (Don’t worry, he’s OK.)Colleen and Gerry also dive into a recent legally binding order from Pope Francis instructing the Vatican’s Secretariat of State, which was once its most powerful office, to transfer all of its assets to the Vatican’s financial oversight office and removing their office’s investing power. The decision comes as financial misconduct in the Secretariat of State is being investigated.With the investigation ongoing, Colleen asks, is Pope Francis jumping the gun with this punitive measure?Support “Inside the Vatican” by subscribing to America: americamagazine.org/subscribeLinks from the show:Gerard O’Connell: Pope Francis cancels his New Year’s plans due to ‘a painful sciatica’Gerard O’Connell: Pope Francis tests negative for Covid-19 after two close advisors were infectedPope formally strips Vatican secretariat of state of assets Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The coronavirus pandemic upended everyone’s plans for 2020—including the Vatican’s. From the first weeks of the pandemic when Pope Francis prayed in the rain in St. Peter’s Square to the London finance scandal to the new standards of transparency ushered in by the McCarrick report, it’s been an unprecedented year in every way.This week on “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell recap the biggest Vatican moments of 2020. The hosts focus on three areas of change in the Vatican: transparency, missionary work, and solidarity with the poor.Links from the show:Gerard O’Connell: The Top 7 Pope Francis Stories of 2020Deep Dive: The Vatican’s $200 million London real estate scandal, explainedDeep Dive: How will historians judge Pope Pius XII’s decisions during World War II?Deep Dive: The Rise and Fall of Theodore McCarrickDeep Dive: The Vatican-China deal, explained Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pope Francis held two pared-down and socially-distanced Christmas celebrations this week: First, Mass on Christmas Eve in St. Peter’s basilica, and then his “urbi et orbi” address and blessing “to the church and the world.”In both, we heard a common theme from Pope Francis in 2020: a strong call for greater fraternity among people.In this episode, host Colleen Dulle gives a quick update on what the pope said.Read Pope Francis’ Christmas Eve homilyRead Pope Francis’ Urbi et Orbi address Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just after Vatican City ordered enough doses of the coronavirus vaccine for all of its employees and their families, two cardinals who work close to the pope have tested positive for the virus. Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the 57-year-old papal almoner who once climbed down a manhole to restore electricity to a building where homeless people were living, was taken to the hospital with pneumonia symptoms. Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, 78, the president of the Governorate of Vatican City State, also tested positive.This week on “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell discuss the cardinals’ condition and the Vatican’s covid prevention measures, along with a new document from the Congregation from the Doctrine of the Faith stating that it is morally permissible for Catholics to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.Colleen and Gerry break down the C.D.F.’s argument on why a vaccine derived from cell lines from an aborted fetus is acceptable for Catholics to receive. The hosts also unpack Pope Francis’ address to the Roman curia on crisis and conflict.Links from the show:Two Vatican cardinals close to Pope Francis test positive for Covid-19Vatican: Catholics can get Covid-19 vaccines that used abortion cellsPope Francis: Sorting the church into ‘right vs. left, progressive vs. traditionalist’ betrays its true naturePope Francis’ 2020 address to the Roman Curia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices