In this deep dive episode of “Inside the Vatican,” we examine how the U.S. evolved from a nation with a long history of anti-Catholicism to one welcoming an American-born pope.
Inside the Vatican
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.
Posted inPodcasts
‘Speaking fearlessly’: Pope Leo’s Africa Trip
This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry O’Connell gives Colleen Dulle an inside look at Pope Leo XIV’s recent visit to four African countries.
Posted inPodcasts
Vatican Diplomacy 101 with Archbishop Joseph Marino
This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Archbishop Joseph Marino, former president of the Vatican’s diplomacy academy, joins Colleen Dulle to answer: Who are nuncios? What do they do? And what difference do they really make?
Posted inPodcasts
Podcast: ‘Don’t Take the Bait’: A Roundtable on Trump’s Pope Leo Comments
This week on “Inside the Vatican,” America Editor-in-Chief Fr. Sam Sawyer, SJ, joins Vatican Correspondent Colleen Dulle and Executive Editor Ashley McKinless for a roundtable discussion on the recent comments President Trump and other administration officials have made about Pope Leo, and the pope’s response given en route to his tour of four African countries.
Posted inPodcasts
Podcast: Pope Leo denounces Trump’s Iran threats
This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen and Gerry recap a packed two weeks of Vatican news, covering Pope Leo’s first Holy Week celebrations and his comments on President Trump’s threat to wipe out ‘an entire civilization.’
Posted inPodcasts
Roundtable: Catholic women react to the Vatican’s report on women’s leadership
In March 2026, the Vatican’s doctrine office released its final report on women’s participation in the life and leadership of the Catholic Church. The report brings to a close the two-year work of Study Group 5, which, as part of the Synod on Synodality, was tasked with studying women’s ministries and leadership. In this special roundtable conversation, editors at America magazine discuss the report’s content and proposals, and ask if the document changes the status quo for women in the Catholic Church.
Posted inPodcasts
The inside story of Pope Leo XIV’s election
This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen Dulle is joined by guest host Ashley McKinless for an interview with Gerard O’Connell and his wife and journalist Elisabetta Piqué about their new book, “The Election of Pope Leo XIV: The Last Surprise of Pope Francis.” They discuss pre-conclave maneuvering, including organized resistance to Pope Francis’s reforms, as well as their decision to report conclave details despite Cardinals taking oaths of secrecy.
Posted inPodcasts
Pope Leo is using every way possible to advocate peace
This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerard O’Connell and Colleen Dulle discuss Pope Leo’s consistent statements pushing for peace and an end to armed conflicts worldwide. In the second part of the show, Colleen and Gerry unpack a few brief stories including Pope Leo receiving the Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center, his new home in the apostolic palace and the Vatican’s appeals court’s decision for a partial re-trial in the “Trial of the Century.”
Posted inPodcasts
Why Pope Leo was ‘relatively restrained’ on Iran war
This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerard O’Connell explains why he saw Leo’s comments on Iran as relatively restrained compared to John Paul II’s at the beginning of the Iraq War.
Posted inPodcasts
Vatican urges SSPX: Submit to the pope
This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell discuss the announcement of several new papal trips, as well as the Society of St. Pius X’s rejection of a Vatican offer for dialogue and what could happen next.