
Jesuitical
Welcome to Jesuitical, a podcast for young Catholics hosted by two young, lay editors at America—Zac Davis and Ashley McKinless. Each episode features a guest who offers a unique perspective on faith, culture or current events. We also bring you some of the top (and maybe more obscure) Catholic news of the week. And we'll ask: Where do we find God in all this?
Latest episodes

May 8, 2025 • 24min
There's only one thing left for Catholics to do: pray.
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

May 7, 2025 • 43min
Black smoke on first vote. But what happens after a pope is elected?
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

May 6, 2025 • 33min
Where the cardinals stand one day before the conclave
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

May 5, 2025 • 1h 8min
What happens inside a conclave? Everything you need to know.
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

May 3, 2025 • 1h 2min
Will the next pope embrace synodality–or reject it?
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 security measures being taken at Casa Santa Marta, where the cardinal electors will stay during the conclave, including lock inspections and sealed windows
The history and recent rise of betting on who will be the next pope, as well as Fantasy Football-style apps for building your conclave team
The influence of the Synod on Synodality for the conclave—and what the result of the conclave might mean for the future of synodality
This episode features:
Sebastian Gomes, America’s executive editor of audio and video
Colleen Dulle, co-host of America’s “Inside the Vatican” podcast
Ashley McKinless, executive editor and co-host of America’s “Jesuitical” podcast
Anna Rowlands, a professor of theology at Durham University
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:
The conclave is a referendum on synodality
Over $10 million in bets placed on who will be the next pope
Vatican guesthouse secured and sealed ahead of secret papal election
Interview: Cardinal Müller on if Pope Francis was a heretic and what he wants in the next pope
Hong Kong’s Jesuit Cardinal Chow on the conclave, the next pope and Francis’ legacy
How will the next pope strengthen safeguards against sex abuse?
Pope Francis and the future of Catholic moral theology
Is it time for the second Latin American pope?
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 2, 2025 • 43min
At the conclave, politics and prayer come together. Is that a problem?
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 latest conclave news, including the installation of the chimney of the roof of the Sistine Chapel and how many cardinals have arrived in Rome
The cardinals have asked Catholics to pray for them and the conclave. What exactly should we be praying for? And should we be scandalized by the intermingling of politics and spirituality?
This episode features:
James Martin, S.J., America’s editor at large and founder of Outreach
Colleen Dulle, co-host of America’s “Inside the Vatican” podcast
Zac Davis, director of digital strategy and co-host of America’s “Jesuitical” podcast
J.D. Long García, senior editor at America
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:
Vatican firefighters install a chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel for the conclave
With five days before the conclave, all but four cardinal electors are in Rome
The prayer Rome needs right now: Come, Holy Spirit.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 1, 2025 • 39min
Choosing a pope: What qualities the cardinals will look for in the conclave
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:
Cardinal Beniamino Stella’s stunning attack on Pope Francis in Wednesday’s general congregation meeting of the College of Cardinals
The “election” of a new bishop in mainland China—while the chair of St. Peter is empty
Papabile: How do conclave watchers come up with their lists of the next pope (and should we trust them?)
This episode features:
- Sebastian Gomes, America’s executive editor of audio and video
- Colleen Dulle, co-host of America’s “Inside the Vatican” podcast
- 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
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:
Backer of Cardinal Parolin attacks Pope Francis’ push for lay involvement in church governance
The new pope: How journalists (and cardinals) come up with their list of candidates
Designers up in arms over Pope Francis’ tombstone
Despite the death of Pope Francis, auxiliary bishop elected in Shanghai
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 30, 2025 • 36min
Will the next pope be Italian? And the unfinished business of Francis’ papacy
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:
President Donald Trump’s choice for pope
The latest from the cardinal pre-conclave meetings
The question: Will the next pope be an Italian?
The unfinished business of Pope Francis’ papacy, including: synodality, fighting sexual abuse, reforming Vatican governance and an ecumenical trip to Turkey on the anniversary of the Council of Nicaea
This episode features:
Sam Sawyer, S.J., America’s editor in chief
Sebastian Gomes, America’s executive editor of audio and video
Colleen Dulle, co-host of America’s “Inside the Vatican” podcast
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
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:
Cardinals say they are expecting a short conclave
Watch: Trump jokes he’d ‘like to be Pope’
Synodality—and ‘controversial’ issues—are here to stay: Takeaways from the Synod’s final document
The four signs of a truly synodal church
Pope Francis issues new rules for accountability and response to allegations of sexual abuse
Pope Francis’ new sex abuse rules are a revolution for the Catholic Church
Vatican to consider classifying ‘spiritual abuse’ as new Catholic crime
With Pope Francis’ reform of the Roman Curia, nine years of work is coming to fruition
Podcast: Pope Francis’ Roman Curia reform, explained
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 29, 2025 • 56min
Clarity, Confusion, Unity: Unpacking the conclave’s code words
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, the team discusses:
- The controversial presence at the pre-conclave meetings of Cardinal Becciu, convicted of embezzlement, and Cardinal Cipriani, who was sanctioned by the Vatican for alleged sexual abuse
- The topics emerging in the cardinals’ secret meetings
- How “unity” and “clarity” are becoming buzzwords for reversing Francis’ style of governance
This episode features:
- Sebastian Gomes, America’s executive editor of audio and video
- Colleen Dulle, co-host of America’s “Inside the Vatican” podcast
- Gerard O’Connell, Vatican correspondent and co-host of America’s “Inside the Vatican” podcast
- 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
- Sam Sawyer, S.J., America’s editor in chief
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:
- What Pope Francis taught us: Church teaching finds clarity and power in acts of mercy
- Cardinal Becciu will not participate in conclave following dispute over right to vote
- As Cardinals Prepare to Elect a Pope, One Motto Is ‘Unity.’ That’s Divisive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 28, 2025 • 38min
The Conclave is more than a referendum on Pope Francis
America Magazine’s editors are on the ground in Rome covering the conclave to elect the next pope. As part of the coverage, the team is producing a new podcast episode every day and releasing it on Inside the Vatican and Jesuitical.
In today’s episode, the team discusses:
- The funeral of Pope Francis
- The cardinal’s decision to start the conclave on May 7
- The College of Cardinals by the numbers
- How the conclave is (and isn’t) a referendum on Pope Francis’ pontificate
Hosted by Sebastian Gomes, America’s executive editor of audio and video, and featuring commentary from “Inside the Vatican” co-hosts Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell, Jesuitical hosts Zac Davis and Ashley McKinless, editor in chief Sam Sawyer, SJ, editor at large James Martin, SJ, and senior editor J.D. Long García.
Sign up for America’s exclusive “Conclave Diary” daily newsletter and get all of our extensive coverage at: AmericaMagazine.org
Links:
- Conclave to elect a new pope will start on May 7
- The three surprises of Pope Francis’ funeral
- Mourners from around the world flock to Rome to say goodbye to ‘pope of the people’
- Father James Martin: Don’t be afraid of the conclave—or the next pope
- The papal transition: What you need to know
- Cardinal Becciu will not participate in conclave following dispute over right to vote
- The prayer Rome needs right now: Come, Holy Spirit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices