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Pope Francis waves as he arrives in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Dec. 7, 2024, for a consistory to create new cardinals. The pope, who fell Dec. 6, has a large bruise on the right side of his face. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell take a closer look at Pope Francis’ latest consistory, which created 21 new cardinals on Saturday, Dec. 7. In the second half of the show, they discuss the pope’s call for an end to the death penalty in the United States and for ceasefires in the world’s wars before Christmas.

Links for further reading:

A busy weekend for Pope Francis: The Immaculate Conception, a consistory and prayers for death row inmates in the United States

Read: Pope Francis’ homily and message to new cardinals

Pope Francis has appointed about 80 percent of the cardinals who will elect the next pope

Vatican’s keffiyeh Nativity scene raises eyebrows and then disappears—at least until Christmas Eve

Krisanne Villaincourt Murphy: How Catholics can urge Joe Biden to commute death row sentences before leaving office

Each week, Colleen Dulle goes behind the headlines of the biggest Vatican news stories with America’s Rome correspondent Gerard O’Connell. They'll break down complicated news stories that have a whole lot of history behind them in an understandable, engaging way. Colleen and Gerard will give you the inside scoop on what people inside the Vatican are thinking, saying—and planning.

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