On Saturday at the Vatican, Pope Leo made an urgent appeal for “reason and responsibility” amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran. Hours later, his video message lit up the jumbotron at Chicago’s Rate Field, where he encouraged the 30,000 faithful present to be “beacons of hope” in a divided world.
On “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and veteran Vatican correspondent Gerry O’Connell report on the pope’s plea for peace in the Middle East, then turn to his video message to the crowd gathered at Rate Field for a Mass celebrating his Chicago roots and historic election, presided over by Cardinal Blase Cupich.
Colleen and Gerry also cover recent Vatican headlines, including:
- The rescheduled canonization date of September 7 for two popular Italian blesseds, Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati;
- The June 15 beatification of Floribèrt Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, a 26-year-old Congolese customs agent killed for refusing a bribe; and
- Pope Leo’s reflections during the Jubilee of Sport, where he spoke about sport’s power to teach “the art of losing,” a humility essential to both faith and life.
[Listen and subscribe to “Inside the Vatican” on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.]
Links from the show:
- Pope Leo calls for ‘responsibility and reason’ as Israel–Iran conflict escalates
- As Trump threatens Iran, Pope Leo issues a strong warning against modern weapons of war
- Pope Leo, the Chicago White Sox and ‘No Kings’ Trump protests: a dispatch and meditation
- Read: Pope Leo XIV’s message to U.S. Catholics
- Pope Leo sends a video message of hope to celebration at White Sox stadium
- Pope Leo XIV: ‘Sport teaches us how to lose’
- Pope Leo sets Sept. 7 for joint canonization of Carlo Acutis and Frassati
