Inside The Vatican

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 

Support Inside the Vatican by becoming a subscriber to America Magazine!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

Support Inside the Vatican by ⁠becoming a subscriber to America Magazine⁠!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.’

Support Inside the Vatican by subscribing to America Magazine!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

Support Inside the Vatican by subscribing to America Magazine!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.

Support Inside the Vatican by subscribing to America Magazine!

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
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices