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

Follow Gerry on X: @gerryorome 

Follow Colleen on Instagram: @colleendulle 

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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

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The pope’s annual Christmas address to the Roman Curia was once a run-of-the-mill affair, but in 2005, the year he was elected pope, Benedict XVI used the speech to lay out his decisive vision for the implementation of the Second Vatican Council. Francis famously used the speech to decry the “diseases” of the Roman Curia.

This week, Pope Leo XIV delivered his own first Christmas address to the Curia. On a special roundtable episode of “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and producers Ricardo da Silva, S.J., and Sebastian Gomes examine how Leo’s speech continued his predecessors’ priorities, and where it differed.

“Inside the Vatican” will take a break for Christmas and return on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, barring any breaking news.

Links from the show:

Pope Leo in Christmas address to Vatican officials asks: ‘Is it possible to be friends in the Roman Curia?’

Preach: The Catholic Homilies Podcast

Hark! The stories of our favorite Christmas carols

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The Jubilee Year is drawing to a close and Christmas is drawing near. This week on “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell cover several important arts events the Vatican has hosted in the lead-up to Christmas, including the “Concert for the Poor” featuring Michael Bublé, the Ratzinger Prize concert with conductor Riccardo Muti and a live performance about St. Peter by filmmaker Roberto Benigni.

In the second part of the show, Colleen and Gerry cover the final major event of the Jubilee of Hope: the jubilee for prisoners and those who work in prisons. The hosts highlight some of the key points from Pope Leo’s powerful jubilee homily.

Finally, Gerry and Colleen review some of the week’s Vatican headlines, including Pope Leo’s comments on his visit to the Blue Mosque, his message of condolence to the victims of the Bondi Beach shooting and the appointment of Bishop Ronald Hicks, as the new archbishop of New York.

Links from the show:

Pope Leo asks Michael Bublé to give his best for the poor at Vatican Christmas concert

Pope Leo attends Vatican Christmas concert for the poor featuring Catholic singer Michael Bublé

Full text: Pope Leo’s homily on the Sunday of the Jubilee of Prisoners

Executions nearly doubled in 2025. But the Jubilee Year saw other good news for death penalty abolition.

Pope Leo explains why he appeared not to pray at the Blue Mosque in Turkey

Pope Leo condemns ‘antisemitic violence,’ ‘terrorist massacre’ in Sydney

Pope Leo picks Chicago-born Ronald Hicks to follow Dolan in New York

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On Dec. 4, the final report from the Vatican’s second study commission on women deacons was published, saying that women can’t be ordained to the diaconate “as understood as a degree of holy orders,” but it stopped short of an unequivocal “no” to women deacons, saying that while its “assessment is strong…it does not allow for a definitive judgment to be formulated at this time.”

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Vatican correspondents Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell unpack the commission’s report: how it came about, why the commission seems to have left the door open to women deacons despite its “no,” and where the push for women’s ministries in the church is likely to go next.

In the second part of the show, Gerry and Colleen examine the dissolution of a Holy See fundraising commission that Pope Francis approved while he was in the hospital. Gerry argues that Pope Francis would likely have dissolved the commission, too, and Colleen raises concern that Vatican officials had asked the pope to sign off on things when he was not in a state to do so.

After our recording, Pope Leo commented on why he appeared not to pray in the Blue Mosque—a topic Colleen and Gerry discussed last week. You can read Colleen’s story here.

A correction to our production credits: Inside the Vatican was engineered by Adam Buchmueller this week.

Links from the show:

Vatican report says no to ordaining women deacons—for now

Video: Women Deacons and the Catholic Church | An Explainer

Pope Leo cancels Vatican fundraising commission announced under questionable circumstances

UPDATED: Pope Leo meets Ukraine’s Zelensky as European leaders discuss controversial U.S. peace plan

Pope Leo explains why he appeared not to pray at the Blue Mosque in Turkey

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Today, the Vatican published the results of its second study commission on women deacons. It said that women cannot be admitted to the diaconate “as understood as a degree of holy orders.”

However, it stopped short of an unequivocal “no” to women deacons, saying that while the commission’s “assessment is strong… it does not allow for a definitive judgment to be formulated at this time, as in the case of priestly ordination.”

Stay tuned to Inside the Vatican for a more in-depth look at this story, and read Gerard O’Connell’s report here: Vatican report says no to ordaining women deacons—for now

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