Episodes
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Gerry and Colleen unpack their takeaways from the 2024 Synod on Synodality’s final document and from the 2021-2024 synodal process as a whole. In the second part of the show, Colleen interviews Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark about what the experience at the synod means for the U.S. church and how bishops exercise authority.
More from this episode:
An English translation of the Synod's Final Document will be posted here
Father James Martin: The conversions I had at the synod
To teach faith and morals in a diverse church, we must recognize the doctrinal authority of bishops’ conferences
Pope Francis calls for a ‘church that gets its hands dirty’ at synod’s closing Mass
Synod Diary: The synod’s final document didn’t solve everything—and I’m grateful for that.
Jesuitical Podcast: Cardinal Tobin on the synod and the future of women deacons
Women Deacons and the Catholic Church: A Video Explainer
Pope Francis says he will not write his own exhortation on synod, publishes members’ final document
Vatican releases audio of meeting on women deacons between Cardinal Fernández and synod members
Please support our coverage of the Synod on Synodality by becoming a digital subscriber to America Media.
Inside the Vatican's synod coverage is sponsored in part by the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University.
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On this week’s episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen Dulle and Ricardo da Silva, S.J., interview Dr. Catherine Clifford, a professor of systematic and historical theology at St. Paul’s University in Ottawa, Canada, who served as an elected member of the 2024 Synod on Synodality’s drafting commission for the final document
They discuss the meetings on the discernment of women deacons that happened during the synod, as well as the document-drafting process and Dr. Clifford’s reactions to the final decisions the synod took.
More from this episode:
- Pope Francis says he will not write his own exhortation on synod, publishes members’ final document
- To teach faith and morals in a diverse church, we must recognize the doctrinal authority of bishops’ conferences
- Vatican releases audio of meeting on women deacons between Cardinal Fernández and synod members
- Pope Francis calls for a ‘church that gets its hands dirty’ at synod’s closing Mass
- Synodality—and ‘controversial’ issues—are here to stay: Takeaways from the Synod’s final document
- Synod Diary: The synod’s final document didn’t solve everything—and I’m grateful for that.
- Jesuitical Podcast: Cardinal Tobin on the synod and the future of women deacons
- Deep Dive: What just happened at the Synod on Synodality?
- Deep Dive: Why Pope Francis is worried about seminaries and young priests with ‘authoritarian attitudes’
Please support our coverage of the Synod on Synodality by becoming a digital subscriber to America Media.
Inside the Vatican's synod coverage is sponsored in part by the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University.
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Missing episodes?
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On the eve of the highly anticipated publication of the final report for the Synod on Synodality, Inside the Vatican host Colleen Dulle and Jesuitical host Zac Davis speak with their colleague and synod delegate James Martin, S.J., about his experience this month inside the second assembly.
Zac and Colleen discuss:
- The atmosphere at this year’s synod assembly compared to last year’s
- How controversial topics like L.G.B.T. issues and women’s ordination have been tackled
- The deep conversion that took place among the members and the long-term impact of this gathering on the global church
Jesuitical’s synod coverage is sponsored in part by the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University.
Links from the show:
The Jesuit roots of the synod’s ‘conversations in the spirit’
‘Palpable outrage’: Synod delegates react to women deacons study group meeting
Synod Diary: The Vatican Curia is still learning synodality
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The “Inside the Vatican” team is together in Rome—live and in person—for the Synod on Synodality’s final week. Host Colleen Dulle, veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O'Connell and producer Ricardo da Silva, S.J., discuss last week’s most contentious story out of the Vatican: the scheduled meeting of Study Group 5, which is considering ways to increase participation for women in the Church, including the possibility of women deacons.
The team examines the “palpable outrage” reported by delegates during their scheduled meeting, where they expected to engage with the Vatican's doctrinal chief and study group members. Instead, they were met by staffers from his office. This unexpected turn not only frustrated delegates but raises serious questions about the real commitment to synodality in the church’s highest ranks.
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On this week’s episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen Dulle and Ricardo da Silva, S.J., are joined by Rev. Matthew Laferty, a Methodist minister who works for the World Methodist Council and represents the Methodist church’s relationship with the Catholic Church and the Vatican. They discuss how the Catholic Church’s current Synod on Synodality is inspiring deeper conversations and greater unity between the Christian churches.
A link to further reading from the episode will be added here soon.
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The 2024 session of the Synod on Synodality has reached its halfway point. In this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” producer Ricardo da Silva, S.J., reporting from Rome, provides an overview of the second week of the synod.
Then, joined by Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell, the two explore some central themes that are beginning to emerge from this session of the synod, including the growing role for theologians, the reimagining of ordained ministries and how the Catholic Church's efforts to foster unity with fellow Christian churches are central to its understanding of synodality.
Inside the Vatican's synod coverage is sponsored in part by the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University.
Please support this podcast by becoming a digital subscriber to America Media.
Links:
Synod Diary: Father James Martin’s halftime report from inside the synod hall
Brazilian Cardinal talks restoring women deacons, ordaining married men at synod press briefing
Pope Francis hears testimonies from transgender and intersex Catholics
Further synod coverage from America:
The keys to a bishop’s role in a synodal church: collaboration and compassion
Interview: Laurence Gien, the abuse survivor and opera singer who spoke at the Vatican
Writing to 21 new cardinals, Pope Francis urges them to be compassionate shepherds
Synod Diary: Lessons from the Jesuit pilgrimage for the synod slog
Synod Diary: Women deacons are not a ‘Western’ obsession
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On this week’s episode of “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle is joined by Laurence Gien, a survivor of clerical sexual abuse who spoke about his experience as part of a penitential celebration in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on Oct. 1, 2024.
Calling for healing for survivors and administrative urgency from the church to address their pain, Mr. Gien saw his testimony as an important symbolic act to promote transparency and accountability for people wounded by the Catholic Church—many of whom remain unnamed and unheard.
Find links for further reading from the episode here.
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The second session of the Synod on Synodality began with a penitential liturgy at St. Peter's Basilica, where a victim of child sexual abuse shared his story for the first time during an official liturgy there. This underscored the church's commitment to naming its sins, greater transparency and accountability.
On this episode of Inside the Vatican, host Colleen Dulle and veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell are joined by producer Ricardo da Silva, S.J., to recap the first week of the synod. While the consideration of contentious issues like the ordination of women to the diaconate have been tabled from the official agenda and set aside for deeper study, they continue to be raised by delegates despite this, as Ricardo reports.
Later, Colleen and Gerry discuss some of the 21 cardinals-elect named at the weekend by Pope Francis—all but one eligible to vote in the conclave—and how each aligns with his vision for a more inclusive, compassionate church, serving the most marginalized.
Find links for further reading from the episode here.
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Colleen Dulle and Gerard O'Connell tackle your burning questions in a special mailbag episode of “Inside the Vatican.” Tune in for their answers on issues that matter to ordinary Catholics. What real changes can we expect from the Synod on Synodality? Why won’t Pope Francis travel to Paris for the grand reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral this December? And how is the Vatican responding to the rapidly expanding war in the Middle East? Colleen even shares her thoughts on who the next pope might be, while Gerry explains why he prefers to opt out of such speculation.
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This episode of “Inside the Vatican” was originally slated to be our mailbag Q. and A. episode, but with so much news, Gerry and Colleen are focusing this week on the most newsworthy moments from Pope Francis’ visit to Belgium. Sexual abuse was a main issue going into this visit; what was less expected were the criticisms the pope faced on the role of women in the church and society.
In the second half of the show, Colleen and Gerry explain the expulsion of ten members of an influential Catholic lay group in Peru. One of those suspended was a Catholic journalist, which raises the question: Are Vatican sanctions like these in conflict with the freedom of the press?
Find links for further reading from the episode here.
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Among the youngest people in a room of mostly bishops, Julia Oseka and José Manuel De Urquidi were in the first group of lay voting members at a synod, as delegates to the Synod on Synodality held at the Vatican last year. In an episode of “Inside the Vatican” recorded last month, José and Julia join host Colleen Dulle for an interview about their experience at the synod: a month of deep listening, dialogue, and disagreement handled with respect—even on sensitive topics like LGBT issues and women’s ordination—and what they expect from this year’s gathering.
Colleen, Gerry and the 'Inside the Vatican' and 'Jesuitical' teams return to the Vatican to deliver in-depth reporting and on-the-ground analysis of the Synod on Synodality as it happens. Great news: you can follow along from home! Visit AmericaMagazine.org/subscribe and you’ll get access to daily synod diaries along with our full coverage. If you have questions about the synod or topics about the Vatican you’d like us to cover during the synod, let us know! Send an email to [email protected]
Find links for further reading from the episode here.
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Links for further reading
Five things to watch for in the upcoming October synod
I listened to Synod delegates opposed to LGBTQ issues. Here are my responses.
Women deacons, LGBT issues not on the agenda for October’s synod meeting
Vatican II—and its media coverage—has a lesson for today’s synod: Don’t expect immediate results
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On Sept. 19, the Vatican officially recognized Medjugorje as a place of pilgrimage and popular piety, stopping short of confirming the supernatural origin of the apparitions. The next day, Pope Francis, in a fiery speech to global grassroots organizers, criticized the wealthy for obstructing social justice and advocated for higher taxes on billionaires, an end to sports betting, and a universal basic income.
Also on the show, host Colleen Dulle and Vatican reporter Gerard O’Connell discuss Pope Francis’ visit to Belgium and Luxembourg from Sept. 26-29 and what he might find in these increasingly secularized, historically Catholic countries.
Find links for further reading from the episode here.
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Links for further reading
Vatican finally approves Medjugorje devotion: visit Mary but not the visionaries
Pope Francis says tax billionaires, stop sports betting in fiery economics speech
Vatican cancels papal audiences because Pope Francis has ‘slight flu’
Why supernatural apparitions are a mixed blessing for the Vatican
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Pope Francis’ 12-day Southeast Asia visit ended in striking contrast to its start, reports veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell. Singapore’s relatively empty streets upon his arrival gave way to 55,000 supporters in the stadium for his final Mass, where he took extra time to greet and bless children. On the flight back to Rome, resuming his now-anticipated press conferences, Pope Francis criticized U.S. presidential candidates, labeling Kamala Harris’s views on abortion and Donald Trump’s migration policies as “both against life.”
In the second half of the show, Gerry and host Colleen Dulle share the latest plans for the next session of the Synod on Synodality next month.
Do you have a question for our mailbag episode? We’d love to hear from you! You can submit your questions in writing or send a voice memo to [email protected]. Please include your first name in any voice message. Questions are due Sept. 27.
Find links for further reading from the episode here.
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Pope Francis continues his longest international visit to date: an almost-two-week tour of Southeast Asia and Oceania. Veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell reports live from Dili, the capital city of Timor Leste, sharing insights into the pope’s historic visit to Papua New Guinea and Timor Leste—where nearly half of the country’s population gathered to celebrate Mass with him—and previews the final leg of the trip to Singapore.
Read more about the pope's historic trip to Asia
Do you have a question for our mailbag episode? We’d love to hear from you! You can submit your questions in writing or send a voice memo to [email protected]. Please include your first name in any voice message. Questions are due Sept. 27.
Please support this podcast by becoming a digital subscriber to America Media.
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This week, Pope Francis embarked on the longest journey of his pontificate: A two-week trip across Southeast Asia and Oceania. In the season premiere of ‘Inside the Vatican,’ veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell reports from Jakarta, Indonesia, on how the visit is progressing and what lies ahead as the pope travels to Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste, and Singapore.
Find links for further reading on the pope’s Asia trip here.
Do you have a question for our mailbag episode?
Do you have questions about the Synod on Synodality or other Vatican matters? Submit them via email to [email protected] by Sept. 27. You can choose to send your question in writing or as a voice memo, but please make sure to include your first name if you’re sending a voice memo.
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The Vatican declared Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò guilty of schism and excommunicated on July 4. For anyone who has followed the archbishop’s public statements over the past few years, the decision was anything but a surprise. Still, no one could have predicted that this Vatican diplomat with more than 40 years of service would fall so precipitously from favor.
In this special deep dive episode of “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle interviews journalists, a canon lawyer, and a historian to trace Viganò’s transformation from top Vatican official to being excommunicated for schism, and what that transformation means for the rest of the Catholic Church.
Special guests:
Robert Moynihan, editor-in-chief of Inside the Vatican magazine and a friend of Viganò
Gerard O’Connell, Vatican correspondent for America
Dawn Eden Goldstein, who holds a licentiate in canon law from the Catholic University of America
Shaun Blanchard, lecturer in theology at the University of Notre Dame Australia
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Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò faces a Vatican trial for schism that is likely to end quickly. In this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell and host Colleen Dulle explain the charges against the Vatican’s former nuncio to the U.S., and what happens next in his extrajudicial disciplinary process.
Later, Colleen shares with Gerry what happened when she asked the prefect of Vatican communications Paolo Ruffini’s to explain why his dicastery continues to use artwork by the disgraced ex-Jesuit Marko Rupnik in its publications.
Find links for further reading from the episode here.
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Pope Francis met individually with ten world leaders at the G7 Summit. He also made history as the first pope to attend and deliver a speech at the gathering, where he urged delegates to prioritize ethics in artificial intelligence for the common good. Earlier that day, he had met with 100 international comedians at the Vatican. In this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” hosts Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell bring you inside both events.
Father James Martin, S.J., joins them to discuss the pope’s meeting with comedians, which he attended, and his hour-long private meeting with the pope, during which he asked about the pope’s reported use of a homophobic slur in closed-door meetings at the Vatican.
NEWS UPDATE: After our recording, news broke that Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganó had been charged with schism by the Vatican and will face trial. You can read Gerry’s report here.
Find links for further reading from the episode here.
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U.S. Cardinal Robert McElroy urged U.S. Catholics to be “more vigorous advocates” in support of Pope Francis’ calls for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, in an interview with America’s veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell.
On this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and host Colleen Dulle discuss Gerry’s interview with the cardinal and give an overview of a busy week for the pope. On Friday, he will meet with a group of comedians including Whoopi Goldberg and Stephen Colbert, then travel to southern Italy for the G7 summit, where he will meet U.S. President Joe Biden.
After this episode was recorded, news broke that Pope Francis had reportedly again used the anti-gay slur that he apologized for using two weeks ago. Read more at the link below.
Find links for further reading from the episode here.
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Pope Francis hosted the inaugural World Children’s Day, a Vatican initiative held from May 25 to 26 at Rome’s Olympic Stadium and St. Peter’s Square. The event drew around 50,000 children spanning more than 100 nationalities and featured conversations between the young participants and Pope Francis. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and actor Roberto Benigni were also in attendance. With the event, the pope hoped to raise awareness about the plight of children caught in war, promote global peace, care for the environment and empower the younger generation.
On the show, producer and guest host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., and veteran Vatican reporter Gerard O’Connell discuss this unique event and the Vatican’s ongoing efforts to foster peace and dialogue among warring factions worldwide.
Later, Gerry reflects on “20 Days in Mariupol,” the award-winning film he saw at the Vatican. The documentary, screened as part of a special event hosted by the British and Ukrainian embassies to the Holy See, exposes the atrocities committed by Russian forces in Ukraine. It highlights the horrors of war and underscores the crucial role of journalists in uncovering the truth.
Links for further reading from the episode here
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