Inside The Vatican

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Junno Arocho Estevez, international correspondent for OSV News, joins host Colleen Dulle to explain what factors the Vatican is likely weighing in its decision-making on whether or not to join the “Board of Peace.”

Links from the show:

Vatican weighs joining Trump’s Board of Peace but calls for respect for international law

Top Vatican official calls violence in Minneapolis ‘unacceptable’

Pope encourages Neocatechumenal Way to continue mission ‘without closing yourselves off’

Pope Leo to visit Spain this year, with stops in Madrid, Barcelona and Canary Islands, cardinal says

What does the Vatican know about A.I.? A lot, actually.

Pope Leo gives stark warning on AI: We must ‘safeguard ourselves.’

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On “Inside the Vatican,” America Chief Correspondent Kevin Clarke joins Colleen Dulle to discuss the cardinals’ statement, analyzing its content, precedents, and potential impact on the U.S. Catholic hierarchy.

Links from the show:

Vatican expert John Allen shaped a generation of Catholic reporters

Vatican weighs joining Trump’s Board of Peace but calls for respect for international law

Cardinals urge Trump to step back from threats on Greenland and Venezuela

Archbishop Broglio: It is ‘morally acceptable’ for troops to disobey ‘morally questionable’ orders on Greenland

Pope Leo meets families of victims of Crans-Montana fire

Pope encourages Neocatechumenal Way to continue mission ‘without closing yourselves off’

Vatican completes official mosaic portrait of Pope Leo XIV for papal basilica

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Pope Leo XIV met with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado this week, only the latest in a monthslong series of statements and meetings that have shown the Vatican repeatedly pushing for peace. This week, David Gibson of Fordham University’s Center on Religion and Culture joins host Colleen Dulle to discuss Pope Leo’s approach to foreign policy.

Links from the show:

New York Times Opinion: Pope Leo Confronts Trump on His Own Terms

Pope Leo meets with Venezuelan opposition leader Machado

Washington Post: Inside the frantic global race to find an escape route for Maduro

George Orwell is more relevant than ever. Just ask the pope.

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0:00 Intro

3:57 Vatican/Venezuela timeline in fall 2025

6:53 Parolin and Burch’s urgent Christmas Eve meeting

11:28 Pope Leo’s comments after U.S. operation

13:11 Leo XIV’s ‘State of the World’ address

20:00 Maria Corina Machado meets Pope Leo

21:50 Why Vatican diplomacy matters

24:36 Is Pope Leo a counterweight to Donald Trump?

27:44 Pope Leo’s message to the American church

29:41 Pope Francis’ vs. Pope Leo’s foreign policy

33:33 Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI’s foreign policies

37:30 What makes Pope Leo’s approach unique?

41:20 The Vatican’s endgame in Venezuela
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Few events in Pope Leo’s young papacy have built as much anticipation as his first consistory. Summoning the cardinals of the Catholic Church to Rome for two intense days of meetings, the pope laid out clear signals about the direction for the church and a new collaborative style of governance.

On “Inside the Vatican” this week, hosts Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell discuss the key takeaways from the consistory, including:

- The significance of the topics chosen: synodality and evangelization

- How Leo is building on Pope Francis’ legacy

- How Leo’s collaborative style will shape church governance

Links from the show:

Pope Leo XIV’s papacy began today

Pope Leo says he will hold consistories with the College of Cardinals every year‘War is back in vogue,’ Pope Leo warns in major foreign policy speech

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The pope’s annual Christmas address to the Roman Curia was once a run-of-the-mill affair, but in 2005, the year he was elected pope, Benedict XVI used the speech to lay out his decisive vision for the implementation of the Second Vatican Council. Francis famously used the speech to decry the “diseases” of the Roman Curia.

This week, Pope Leo XIV delivered his own first Christmas address to the Curia. On a special roundtable episode of “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and producers Ricardo da Silva, S.J., and Sebastian Gomes examine how Leo’s speech continued his predecessors’ priorities, and where it differed.

“Inside the Vatican” will take a break for Christmas and return on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, barring any breaking news.

Links from the show:

Pope Leo in Christmas address to Vatican officials asks: ‘Is it possible to be friends in the Roman Curia?’

Preach: The Catholic Homilies Podcast

Hark! The stories of our favorite Christmas carols

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