Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Inside the VaticanMay 09, 2025
Newly elected Pope Leo XIV appears at the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Welcome to America magazine’s Conclave Podcast. In this episode, veteran Vatican reporter Gerard O'Connell speaks to Colleen Dulle and Sam Sawyer, S.J., about the unexpectedly quick election of Pope Leo XIV, who was elected on the fourth ballot in the conclave.

They discuss:

  • What does the speedy election tell us about the conclave?
  • Why a pope from the U.S. was thought to be “impossible,” and why it happened anyway
  • Leo XIV’s first address to the world and homily to the cardinals
  • Who was Leo XIII—and who is Leo XIV in light of his legacy?
  • Leo XIV’s time as a poor missionary in Peru and a capable administrator on a global stage

Sign up for America’s subscriber-exclusive “Conclave Diary” daily newsletter and get all of our extensive coverage at: https://www.americamagazine.org/subscribe

Links from the show:

The latest from america

Spanish Legionnaires carry a large image of the crucified Christ in the rain April 18, 2019, outside a church in Málaga, Spain, during a Holy Week ceremony. (CNS photo/Jon Nazca, Reuters)
Spain’s confraternities often make headlines in the foreign press as their Holy Week processions have become a tourist attraction, demonstrating the complex reality of their fame.
Bridget RyderMay 16, 2025
Beyond a simple affirmation of the pope’s authority, the letter by Arturo Sosa, S.J., called attention to its particular place of importance in the life of the Jesuits.
A destroyed St. Matthew Church is seen June 27, 2022, in the village of Daw Ngay Ku, Myanmar, in eastern Kayah state. Myanmar’s military junta was accused of blowing up the Catholic church with landmines and torching it. A more recent church attack blamed on the junta was the burning down of St. Patrick Cathedral in strife-torn northern Kachin state on March 16, 2025, the eve of the revered saint's feast. (OSV News photo/courtesy Amnesty International)
“I’m glad that there are people still coming through,” Zomi leader Francis Kham says, but refugee resettlement “should be extended to everyone that’s really [facing] the same discrimination.”
Kevin ClarkeMay 16, 2025
Tuesday, May 20th at 5:30pm ET: Featuring Sam Sawyer, S.J., James Martin, S.J., Colleen Dulle and Sebastian Gomes.
America StaffMay 16, 2025