Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Inside the VaticanMarch 11, 2020
Women wearing masks for protection from the coronavirus cross St. Peter's Square at the Vatican March 9, 2020. St. Peter's Basilica is still open, but the Vatican has closed the Vatican Museums, the necropolis under St. Peter's Basilica, museums at the pontifical villa at Castel Gandolfo, and the museums of the papal basilicas until April 3 as measures to contain the coronavirus. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Vatican City reported its first case of coronavirus last week after a non-Vatican resident passed through its medical center for a routine medical evaluation. Over the weekend, the Italian government announced a total lockdown and a ban on public gatherings, advising residents not to leave their homes. On “Inside the Vatican” this week, America’s Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell details what it’s like living in Rome under the lockdown and how the Holy See and the pope are handling the crisis.

Listen and subscribe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

The Vatican has also announced that the 2022 synod of bishops will focus on the theme of “synodality.” Gerry and I explain what synodality is, where the idea came from, and why Pope Francis is choosing to hold what some have jokingly called a “meta-synod.”

We also give an update on Cardinal George Pell’s final appeal, which will be brought to Australia’s High Court this week.

Links from the show:

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

The Gospel parable of the “wasteful sower” who casts seeds on fertile soil as well as on a rocky path “is an image of the way God loves us,” Pope Leo XIV told 40,000 visitors and pilgrims at his first weekly general audience.
Cindy Wooden May 21, 2025
President Donald Trump, center, surrounded by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., and Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., speaks to reporters before a House Republican conference meeting, Tuesday, May 20, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
“These proposed changes threaten access to care for millions of Americans, particularly those in underserved areas, where our member systems work every day to provide quality, compassionate care.”
Kevin ClarkeMay 20, 2025
The Archdiocese of Chicago has scheduled a Mass and a special program to celebrate the election and inauguration of Pope Leo XIV, a native son of the Windy City.
The genre of the crime-solving priest or religious might be a niche one, but it's been around on the page and the screen for more than a century.
James T. KeaneMay 20, 2025