Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Inside the VaticanDecember 19, 2024
Pope Francis stands as he celebrates a mass on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Ajaccio on the first papal visit ever to the French island of Corsica. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) 

On his 88th birthday, Pope Francis revealed he survived two assassination attempts during his 2021 apostolic visit to Iraq, a journey already recognized as high-risk. In this episode of Inside the Vatican, Colleen and Gerry examine this shocking disclosure and other insights from his forthcoming autobiography, Hope, with excerpts released to mark the occasion ahead of its January publication. They also reflect on the first-ever visit of a pope to the Mediterranean island of Corsica on Sunday, Dec. 5, where he participated in a conference on popular religiosity and celebrated Mass for the island’s predominantly Catholic community.

Links for further reading

The latest from america

”Catholics across the ideological spectrum have expressed hope that Leo will be able to heal some of the divisions that emerged during the pontificate of his predecessor, Pope Francis.”
Monsignor Ray East, left, in front of St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church in Washington, D.C.; Nathan East performs with Toto in Amsterdam on June 8, 2013 (photos: Nathan East/WENN Rights Ltd/Alamy)
For Monsignor Ray East and his brother Nathan, their faith feeds their music and their music feeds their faith.
Mike Jordan LaskeyJune 18, 2025
A cosmopolitan stance—one that values other cultures while treasuring the unique gifts of one's own—is a necessary one in a world where Donald Trump is destroying the venturing spirit and generosity of the American people.
Pope Leo XIV called on world leaders to reject the temptation to use “powerful and sophisticated weapons,” as President Donald J. Trump aired the possibility of using massive bombs to destroy Iran’s Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plant.
Gerard O’ConnellJune 18, 2025