This week on Jesuitical, Colleen Dulle joins hosts Zac Davis and Sebasian Gomes to discuss Pope Leo’s recent visit to France, including his messages on assisted dying, European identity and the role of the Catholic Church in a secular country. Colleen also reflects on her experience of traveling with the pope for the first time.

Sign up for Colleen’s newsletter, Vatican Notebook!

Chapters:

00:00 First time on the papal plane!

4:02 Why Pope Leo went to France

6:45 Catholic revival?

9:43 Secularity in France

14:02 Pro-life issues in France

17:57 Is Europe a "Christian" culture?

24:55 Pope meets abuse victims

34:08 Liturgy and division

Links:

• Pope Leo’s trip to France won’t be a victory lap—and that’s a good thing.

• Vatican Notebook: Pope Leo navigates tensions between secularism and Catholic history on France visit

• ‘More than a monument’: Pope Leo’s speech at the newly renovated Notre-Dame

• Pope Leo draws 800,000 to Mass in the heart of Paris

• Vatican Notebook: Pope Leo addresses French conversion boom, warns against complacency

• Pope speaks out against French assisted-dying and abortion laws in Lourdes visit

• Mother: Pope Leo’s blessing of special-needs daughter recognizes ‘segment of humanity often set aside’

• Pope Leo meets with survivors of abuse in Lourdes

• Pope Leo: Europe must return to path of dialogue, not military buildup

• Pope Leo is not ‘in panic mode’ about an A.I. catastrophe, but ‘we can’t just sit back’ and do nothing

You can sign up for Colleen's 'Vatican Notebook' newsletter here: https://www.americamagazine.org/sign-up-for-vatican-notebook-email-newsletter

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In this week’s episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and Colleen preview Pope Leo XIV’s visit to France, set for Sept. 25-28. The two unpack Pope Leo’s itinerary for the trip, give context for the political situation in the country and discuss what messages the pope may send to both secular and ecclesial authorities in a country and church that are being reshaped by the arrival of newcomers.

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Chapters:

00:00 News: Pope Leo to visit Latin America
2:12 Background on Pope Leo's trip to France
11:07 The EU, war, and multilateralism
15:19 The pope's diplomatic balancing act
18:20 A religious spring in France?
24:00 Scandals, wounds and reconciliation
29:20 Who the pope is meeting

Links:

• Pope Leo XIV will meet with the French abuse survivors as critics demand action

• As Pope Leo prepares to visit France, can its ‘Catholic moment’ become a lasting revival?

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Follow Colleen on Instagram: @colleendulle 

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In this week’s episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and Colleen discuss the “birthday gifts” Pope Leo XIV gave to the Vatican on his 71st birthday: an expansion of the Vatican Library and archives and the repeal of Covid-era salary cuts. The hosts explain Vatican salaries and what has changed financially for the Holy See since the pandemic.

In the second part of the show, Colleen and Gerry give a primer on “Baby Bishops’ School,” the annual training for newly-ordained bishops that recently concluded in Rome.

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

0:42 Pope Leo repeals Covid-era salary cuts

4:52 How Vatican employees are compensated

7:52 The Vatican’s financial recovery since 2024

10:39 Vatican finances under Pope Leo

15:06 Vatican Library and archive expansion

18:33 Baby Bishops’ School explained

21:03 Bishops get international perspective

24:49 Pope Leo’s address to new bishops

29:43 The Pope Leo ‘style’ of being bishop

33:40 What could change for bishops under Leo

35:30 Outro and credits

Links:
Pope Leo celebrates his 71st birthday—by giving gifts to the Vatican

Is Pope Leo ‘Americanizing’ Vatican fundraising?

What Pope Leo has said about an ‘A.I. pause’

Pope Leo calls for ‘culture of negotiation’ at meeting of North and South American leaders

Synodality, multiculturalism and working with Pope Leo: Archbishop Costelloe on the Australian Catholic Church

Pope Leo warns technology cannot replace the value of human relationships

Cardinal Czerny awarded inaugural Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal

Pope Leo commemorates 9/11, praying for all who ‘bear wounds of that tragic day’

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In this week’s episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and Colleen take the opportunity of Pope Leo’s 71st birthday on Monday, Sept. 14, to look back at what he has accomplished thus far in his papacy and what major items remain on his desk for the fall, including trips to France and Latin America, a series of high-profile appointments and the ongoing trials of Marko Rupnik and Angelo Becciu.

The hosts also announce the launch of the newest America newsletter, Vatican Notebook! Subscribe here.

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

3:21 Pope Leo celebrates his 71st birthday

5:50 A review of Pope Leo's first year

10:01 Pope Leo's effect on geopolitics

13:53 Pope Leo assembles a diverse new team

21:50 Leo's focus on peace, poverty and A.I.

28:10 Pope Leo is in no rush

29:10 The pope's preferences for bishops

35:11 Plans for filling bishop vacancies

37:03 Marko Rupnik trial updates

40:53 A new attitude on Vatican finances

44:30 Outro

Links:

• How do popes celebrate their birthdays? Pizza, parties and puppies (from 2025)

• Is Pope Leo ‘Americanizing’ Vatican fundraising?

• Pope Leo: Catholics cannot be ‘unengaged spectators’ amid ‘injustice, discrimination and violence’

• Pope Leo’s visit to France likely to attract a million people

• Peruvian city to unveil world’s tallest statue of Pope Leo for trip to South America

• A long-awaited reckoning: A timeline of the Father Marko Rupnik case

• Subscribe to Vatican Notebook

Follow Gerry on X: @gerryorome 

Follow Colleen on Instagram: @colleendulle 

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Pope Leo today received the National Constitution Center’s liberty medal and gave an acceptance speech via livestream from the Vatican. Colleen Dulle recaps his message.

Links from the show:

Read: Pope Leo’s message to the United States on its 250th anniversary

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Today, July 2, in response to the SSPX’s illicit ordinations of bishops, the Vatican announced that not only were the bishops involved in the ordination automatically excommunicated and in schism, but that any clergy of SSPX or lay members who “adhere” to the schism are also to be considered excommunicated.

Links from the show:

• The Vatican and SSPX controversy, explained

• Vatican declares excommunicated SSPX bishops, warns priests and lay faithful of schism

• Analysis: SSPX excommunications show what Pope Leo means by church ‘unity’

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• Fill out our listener survey!

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On this season finale of “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen and Gerry discuss the hectic weeks before Pope Leo’s summer vacation. First they recap the pope’s trip to Pavia to visit the remains of St. Augustine and the home of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, his speech to the World Food Program and the Vatican’s denial of the German bishops’ request to allow lay people to preach homilies. They also look ahead to this week’s consistory of cardinals, the illicit ordinations planned by SSPX, the pope’s address to Americans on July 3 and his trip to Lampedusa July 4, along with how Leo plans to spend his summer vacation. In this episode, Gerry also breaks the news of how many days Pope Leo will spend in Argentina, Peru and Uruguay this fall. 0:00 Intro 1:17 Pope Leo’s visit to Pavia and Cabrini’s hometown 4:52 Breaking News - Pope Leo’s agenda for Latin America 5:44 Pope Leo’s visit to the World Food Program 10:50 Vatican says no to lay homilies during Mass 11:35 Meeting of continental synod leaders at Vatican 16:38 Consistory of cardinals on war, AI and the synod 23:49 Cardinals could discuss SSPX at consistory 28:44 Pope Leo’s address to Americans July 3 34:06 Pope Leo’s July 4 visit to Lampedusa 34:53 What we know about Pope Leo’s summer plans 39:22 Please fill out our listener survey!

Links:

Pope Leo XIV exalts first American saint Cabrini as a model for Christians for her care of migrants

Pope Leo: War is ‘fed more easily’ than the hungry

Vatican to German bishops: No lay people preaching homilies at Mass

SSPX stands firm against Vatican II in open letter to Pope Leo

Extraordinary consistory signals Pope Leo’s push to work with cardinals on global challenges

Fill out our Listener Survey!

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Pope Leo visited Spain from June 6-12, a visit that drew record-breaking crowds. This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerard O’Connell recaps for Colleen Dulle the highlights from the pope’s three stops: Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands. On the last day, Gerry reports, Leo spoke out against those who take advantage of migrants “like I’ve rarely seen him,” shouting, “Stop! Repent!”

After this episode was recorded, Pope Leo spoke to journalists outside Castel Gandolfo, saying “Thank God” for the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding and commenting on the upcoming illicit ordinations of bishops for the Society of St. Pius X. Regarding the latter, he said, ““If they make that choice, I am sorry, but we must move forward.”

Interview: Madrid’s Cardinal Cobo says Pope Leo’s visit to Spain ‘is bringing out the best in people’

In Spain, Pope Leo denounces polarization and hails commitment to multilateralism

More than one million attend Pope Leo’s Mass and procession in the heart of Madrid

Pope Leo defends the unborn and migrants in historic speech to Spanish parliament

Pope Leo meets with 6 clergy abuse survivors in Spain

Pope Leo blesses 21 ambulances that an Argentine nun is taking to Ukraine

Pope Leo tackles depression, domestic violence and the ‘cult of self-image’ in dialogue with young people

Pope Leo visits famed Spanish monastery, entrusting his ministry to the Virgin of Montserrat

Pope Leo XIV honors Antoni Gaudí and blesses the Sagrada Familia’s final tower

‘Human dignity has no passport’: Pope Leo visits Gran Canaria

Pope Leo ends visit to Spain with a call to repent

Pope Leo speaks out on SSPX ordinations and U.S.-Iran deal

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Pope Leo’s encyclical ‘Magnifica Humanitas,’ published May 25, has sparked debates in the worlds of technology and theology while galvanizing online creators opposed to artificial intelligence. Anna Rowlands, a theologian and co-presenter of the text with Pope Leo, joins Colleen Dulle to parse the encyclical’s reception, its contributions to Catholic teaching, and whether workers can use the encyclical to justify religious exemptions to using A.I.

Links:

Pope Leo’s trip to Spain: Background on Sagrada Familia, migrant advocacy and a changing Catholic landscape

More than one million attend Pope Leo’s Mass and procession in the heart of Madrid

Pope Leo meets with 6 clergy abuse survivors in Spain

Pope Leo meets Bad Bunny in Madrid

A.I. is the headline for ‘Magnifica Humanitas,’ but Catholic social teaching is its spine

Why ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ is Pope Leo’s most important action on synodality yet

Follow Gerry on X: @gerryorome 

Follow Colleen on Instagram: @colleendulle 

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This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell discuss EWTN News President and COO Montserrat “Montse” Alvarado as prefect of the Vatican’s dicastery for communications. They unpack some of the challenges currently facing the dicastery and analyze the appointment in light of the Vatican’s previously strained relationship with EWTN. In the second half of the show, Gerry gives a preview of Pope Leo’s trip to Spain next week.

0:00 Intro

0:48 The dicastery for communications’ challenges

3:32 Montse Alvarado’s appointment and experience

6:38 First lay woman to head a Vatican dicastery

11:08 Significance of an American as head of communications

13:49 Alvarado steered EWTN away from conflict with Francis

17:19 Pope Leo’s vision for communications

21:38 Pope Leo to address Spanish parliament in Madrid

24:29 Pope Leo’s visit to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona

26:20 Pope Leo to highlight migration in Canary Islands

28:04 Other possible events for pope’s Spain trip

31:34 Outro and credits

Links:

Pope Leo appoints president of EWTN News as head of Vatican communications

Pope Francis responds to attacks from EWTN, other church critics: ‘They are the work of the devil.’

Explainer: The story behind Pope Francis’ beef with EWTN

Pope Leo’s trip to Spain: Background on Sagrada Familia, migrant advocacy and a changing Catholic landscape

Bad Bunny wants to meet Pope Leo XIV. In Madrid, a crossover event is in the works.

Follow Gerry on X: @gerryorome 

Follow Colleen on Instagram: @colleendulle 

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This week on a special “Inside the Vatican” roundtable, a discussion of “Magnifica Humanitas,” Pope Leo’s groundbreaking first encyclical on protecting the human person in the age of artificial intelligence. Host Colleen Dulle sits down with her co-host and senior Vatican correspondent, Gerard O’Connell, as well as America’s president and editor in chief, Sam Sawyer, S.J.

They discuss the document’s key takeaways, how it is being received in Silicon Valley, Pope Leo’s challenge for every Catholic in the A.I. age and much more. 

Links:

Read “Magnifica Humanitas”

Pope Leo’s first encyclical tackles A.I., power and human dignity

Pope Leo XIV makes historic apology for the Catholic Church’s role in legitimizing slavery

Why Pope Leo’s new encyclical quotes Gandalf: Literary images of hope and faith in ‘Magnifica Humanitas’

A capitalist (priest) reads ‘Magnifica Humanitas’

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Follow Colleen on Instagram: @colleendulle 

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