This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerard O’Connell and Colleen Dulle discuss Pope Leo’s consistent statements pushing for peace and an end to armed conflicts worldwide. In the second part of the show, Colleen and Gerry unpack a few brief stories including Pope Leo receiving the Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center, his new home in the apostolic palace and the Vatican’s appeals court’s decision for a partial re-trial in the “Trial of the Century.”

0:00 Intro

1:50 Did Pope Leo tell American leaders to go to confession?

5:43 Pope Leo calls for ceasefire

8:18 Wars are becoming video games

10:53 Leo’s phone call with Palestinian president

14:44 Pope Leo’s laser focus on peace and unity

17:30 Vatican’s soft power in conflicts

19:26 Pope Leo turns down invite to the US

23:13 Pope Leo moves to the Apolostic Palace

27:30 Update on the Vatican’s “Trial of the Century”

32:34 Pope Leo meets with Gareth Gore

33:26 Outro

Links:

What the Middle East needs: Not more bombs, but ‘hard, focused diplomacy’

Pope Leo to journalists: Don’t become agents of propaganda during wartime

Pope Leo to warring nations in the Middle East: ‘Cease fire!’

Pope Leo to accept Liberty Medal and address Americans on July 3rd

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This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerard O’Connell and Colleen Dulle discuss comments from Pope Leo XIV and three cardinals on the Iran War, including one cardinal’s analysis of whether the conflict meets the requirements of a “just war.” In the second part of the show, Colleen and Gerry give an overview of the three synod study group final reports that have been released so far: on digital mission, seminaries and women’s roles in the church.

0:00 Intro

1:04 Pope Leo’s comments on Iran

7:30 Cardinal Cupich warns against ‘gamifying’ war

12:25 Cardinal David on war technology

14:10 Cardinal McElroy on Just War Theory

21:27 New papal nuncio to the U.S.

24:33 Synod study group report on digital mission

28:31 Final report on seminary formation

31:46 Final report on women’s ministries

36:36 Why did Cardinal Sako resign?

Links:

Register for Gerry’s book launch

Pope Leo calls for a stop to ‘the thunderous sound of bombs’ in the Middle East

Pope Leo praises heroic action of priest killed by Israeli tank fire in Lebanon

Iran’s Cardinal Mathieu evacuated to Rome

Cardinals McElroy and Cupich denounce Iran war: ‘War now has become a spectator sport.’

Pope Leo appoints Archbishop Caccia as nuncio to the United States

First synod final reports published: on digital culture and seminary formation

The changing face of seminary formation: Group therapy, digital detoxing and more listening

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On Saturday morning, Feb. 28, the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran, killing its leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with other senior regime figures. The following day, Pope Leo appealed for peace, urging world leaders to stop “the spiral of violence before it becomes an unbridgeable chasm.” This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Veteran Vatican Correspondent Gerard O’Connell explains why he saw Leo’s comments as relatively restrained compared to John Paul II’s at the beginning of the Iraq War.

In the second part of the show, Gerry shares a story from his forthcoming book on the 2025 conclave.

0:00 Intro

2:20 Vatican response to Iran war

7:05 John Paul II on the 2003 Iraq War

9:07 Pope Leo decries 'zeal for war'

10:48 Archbishop Coakley speaks out on war

11:30 On the Christian communities of Tehran

12:50 Pope Leo talks on Hong Kong activist Jimmy Lai

14:18 Cardinal Parolin's statements on the war

19:00 What difference the Vatican make

22:14 Stories from Gerry's new book on the conclave

25:40 Cardinal forgets to give away his phone

27:25 Cardinals unused to having no phones

29:00 Behind the scenes of the conclave

32:05 Is the conclave not 'top secret'?

33:26 Outro

Links:

Pope Leo urges a halt to ‘spiral of violence’ across Iran and Middle East

Cardinal Parolin on Iran war: ‘The force of law has been replaced by the law of force’

Address of Pope Leo XIV to Members of the Diplomatic Corps Accredited to the Holy See, Jan. 9, 2026

Against Unjust and Unjustified War with Iran

I regret supporting the Iraq War. We shouldn’t repeat our mistakes in Iran now.

Book Excerpt: Behind the scenes of Pope Leo XIV’s election

The Election of Pope Leo XIV: The Last Surprise of Pope Francis

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This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell discuss the announcement of several new papal trips, as well as the Society of St. Pius X’s rejection of a Vatican offer for dialogue and what could happen next. In the second part of the show, the hosts look at the situation of Ukrainian Catholics and the Vatican’s efforts to help end the war on its fourth anniversary.

• 0:00 Intro

• 0:47 Papal trips for spring announced

• 7:30 SSPX rejects Vatican proposal

• 12:33 The extra letter to SSPX that Gerry saw

• 17:30 Cardinals Muller and Sarahs’s warnings

• 19:24 What’s next for SSPX?

• 24:14 Fourth anniversary of war in Ukraine

• 26:59 Vatican response to Ukraine peace talks

• 31:02 Vatican’s humanitarian aid to Ukraine

• 34:02 Situation of Ukrainian Catholics

• 38:32 Outro and Credits

Links:

Pope Leo XIV to embark on 10-day Africa tour and trips to Spain and Monaco

SSPX rejects Vatican dialogue, plans to consecrate bishops without papal mandate

Cardinals Müller, Sarah urge SSPX to submit to papal authority

Pope Leo calls for ‘an immediate ceasefire’ to the war in Ukraine

Four years of war: ‘The Ukrainian Catholic Church is wiped out every time there is Russian aggression.’

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This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Senior Vatican Correspondent and Contributing Editor Ricardo da Silva, S.J., discuss the Vatican’s decision not to join President Trump’s Board of Peace, Pope Leo’s Lenten message, and the pope’s plans for the first Lent since his election last May.

0:00 Intro

0:35 Vatican declines Board of Peace invitation

5:06 Pope Leo’s Ash Wednesday plans

7:17 Pope Leo’s Lenten message

12:14 Inviting communities to listen during Lent

14:30 Pope Leo calls war a public health crisis

18:14 Pope Leo begins visiting Roman parishes

22:43 Altar girls serve at papal Mass

25:36 Recent appointments of women in Vatican offices

29:20 Pope Leo dissolves papal committee for World Children’s Day

32:11 Credits

Links:

Vatican will not join Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ for Gaza, Cardinal Parolin says

Pope Leo XIV explains why Catholics fast during Lent

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This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerard O’Connell and Colleen Dulle are joined by longtime Vatican journalist John Thavis to discuss the strained relationship between the Vatican and the Priestly Society of St. Pius X, after the Society said it plans to ordain new bishops July 1 with or without papal permission.

0:00 Intro

1:08 Pope Leo travel updates

4:36 What is the Society of St. Pius X?

7:14 SSPX’s beginnings and beliefs

12:46 The 1988 SSPX bishops’ ordinations

16:48 Pope Benedict and the Latin Mass

22:24 Benedict lifts excommunications, offers autonomy

28:05 Pope Francis’s actions on SSPX and Latin Mass

30:34 Questions facing Pope Leo XIV

36:37 What do the Vatican and SSPX each want?

42:57 Update on Feb. 12 meeting with Cardinal Fernandez

44:00 Credits

St. Pius X Society to ordain new bishops without Vatican approval, risking excommunication

The Vatican Diaries: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Power, Personalities and Politics at the Heart of the Catholic Church

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Bishop Kevin Kenney was born in Minneapolis and has ministered to Latino communities there for years. Now an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, he speaks to America about the realities facing Latino Catholics on the ground and what the Catholic Church is doing to support them.

0:00 ICE outside churches and schools

4:45 How the Catholic Church is responding

10:00 Targeting criminals only?

11:45 Preaching during the crisis

15:12 Ministering to ICE

16:45 Latinos have enriched Minneapolis

18:53 Longterm effects

23:45 Pope Leo and prioritizing immigration

34:00 What Bishop Kenney is praying for

Links for further reading: 

Twin Cities pastors preach on the killing of Alex Pretti: ‘We are walking in darkness and living in fear’ 

I’m a Minnesota Catholic mom. Here’s what my neighbors are saying about ICE

No more funding for ICE without reform. Congress must act

Bishop Tyson: Not all are called to be martyrs like Alex Pretti. But we can be witnesses

Minnesota Catholic Relief Fund

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This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Junno Arocho Esteves, international correspondent for OSV News, joins host Colleen Dulle to explain what factors the Vatican is likely weighing in its decision-making on whether or not to join the “Board of Peace.”

Links from the show:

Vatican weighs joining Trump’s Board of Peace but calls for respect for international law

Top Vatican official calls violence in Minneapolis ‘unacceptable’

Pope encourages Neocatechumenal Way to continue mission ‘without closing yourselves off’

Pope Leo to visit Spain this year, with stops in Madrid, Barcelona and Canary Islands, cardinal says

What does the Vatican know about A.I.? A lot, actually.

Pope Leo gives stark warning on AI: We must ‘safeguard ourselves.’

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On “Inside the Vatican,” America Chief Correspondent Kevin Clarke joins Colleen Dulle to discuss the cardinals’ statement, analyzing its content, precedents, and potential impact on the U.S. Catholic hierarchy.

Links from the show:

Vatican expert John Allen shaped a generation of Catholic reporters

Vatican weighs joining Trump’s Board of Peace but calls for respect for international law

Cardinals urge Trump to step back from threats on Greenland and Venezuela

Archbishop Broglio: It is ‘morally acceptable’ for troops to disobey ‘morally questionable’ orders on Greenland

Pope Leo meets families of victims of Crans-Montana fire

Pope encourages Neocatechumenal Way to continue mission ‘without closing yourselves off’

Vatican completes official mosaic portrait of Pope Leo XIV for papal basilica

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Pope Leo XIV met with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado this week, only the latest in a monthslong series of statements and meetings that have shown the Vatican repeatedly pushing for peace. This week, David Gibson of Fordham University’s Center on Religion and Culture joins host Colleen Dulle to discuss Pope Leo’s approach to foreign policy.

Links from the show:

New York Times Opinion: Pope Leo Confronts Trump on His Own Terms

Pope Leo meets with Venezuelan opposition leader Machado

Washington Post: Inside the frantic global race to find an escape route for Maduro

George Orwell is more relevant than ever. Just ask the pope.

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0:00 Intro

3:57 Vatican/Venezuela timeline in fall 2025

6:53 Parolin and Burch’s urgent Christmas Eve meeting

11:28 Pope Leo’s comments after U.S. operation

13:11 Leo XIV’s ‘State of the World’ address

20:00 Maria Corina Machado meets Pope Leo

21:50 Why Vatican diplomacy matters

24:36 Is Pope Leo a counterweight to Donald Trump?

27:44 Pope Leo’s message to the American church

29:41 Pope Francis’ vs. Pope Leo’s foreign policy

33:33 Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI’s foreign policies

37:30 What makes Pope Leo’s approach unique?

41:20 The Vatican’s endgame in Venezuela

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Few events in Pope Leo’s young papacy have built as much anticipation as his first consistory. Summoning the cardinals of the Catholic Church to Rome for two intense days of meetings, the pope laid out clear signals about the direction for the church and a new collaborative style of governance.

On “Inside the Vatican” this week, hosts Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell discuss the key takeaways from the consistory, including:

- The significance of the topics chosen: synodality and evangelization

- How Leo is building on Pope Francis’ legacy

- How Leo’s collaborative style will shape church governance

Links from the show:

Pope Leo XIV’s papacy began today

Pope Leo says he will hold consistories with the College of Cardinals every year‘War is back in vogue,’ Pope Leo warns in major foreign policy speech

For Megaphone only:

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