Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Inside the VaticanOctober 28, 2020
Pope Francis speaks with Valentina Alazraki of the Mexican television station Televisa during an interview that aired in May 2019. Clips, apparently cut from the interview and showing Pope Francis talking about “civil unions,” is used in the documentary "Francesco" by Evgeny Afineevsky. (CNS screenshot/Noticieros Televisa via YouTube)

Pope Francis made headlines last week when he endorsed civil unions for same-sex couples as part of an interview in a new documentary called “Francesco.” Almost immediately, questions emerged about the comments: Was the pope mistranslated? When did he make these comments? Had he been censored?

Listen and subscribe to "Inside the Vatican" on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell answer these questions “rapid fire,” as Colleen says, and unpack everything you need to know about the pope’s comments on civil unions for same-sex couples.

The hosts also give an update on coronavirus in Italy and the Vatican, and discuss the nomination of the world’s first Black American cardinal and, briefly, the renewal of the Vatican-China deal.

Read more:

Colleen Dulle | Explainer: What Pope Francis actually said about civil unions—and why it matters

Gerard O’Connell | Analysis: What is going on at the Vatican’s communications department?

Where homosexuality is still illegal, Pope Francis has thrown a lifeline to L.G.B.T. Catholics

Gerard O’Connell | Pope Francis names 13 new cardinals, including Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington D.C.

Gerard O’Connell | The Vatican is ready to renew its deal with China. Privately, officials admit they’re walking a tightrope.

The latest from america

July 16 marks 80 years since the first atomic bomb was detonated. The specter of nuclear annihilation has been with us ever since.
James T. KeaneJuly 15, 2025
David Corenswet in a scene from "Superman" (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)
The first time we see the titular hero of James Gunn’s new film “Superman,” he doesn’t descend from the heavens. He plummets.
John DoughertyJuly 15, 2025
If we imagine ourselves as satisfying a God who will “give us” things only if we do the “right things,” then our relationship with God becomes less a friendship and more a chore.
James Martin, S.J.July 15, 2025
For 13 years, Josep Lluís Iriberri, S.J. has guided pilgrims along the same trail St. Ignatius walked over 500 years ago.