Roundtable: Pope Leo XIV, AI ethics, sexual abuse crisis reforms, Vatican–China relations
We pause our usual “Inside the Vatican” weekly format to continue the conversation from America Media’s subscriber-only Conclave Debrief event this past Monday, June 9. Hosts Colleen Dulle, Gerard O’Connell, and producer Ricardo da Silva respond to subscriber questions about Pope Leo XIV and the recent conclave.
Gerard compares this conclave with the 2013 election of Pope Francis, highlighting what made it unique. Colleen shares her firsthand experience covering a conclave live from the Vatican for the first time, while Ricardo reflects on the surprising surge in secular media coverage and growing interest in the papacy both in the U.S. and at St. Peter’s. They also answer questions about Pope Leo’s early warnings on artificial intelligence, the urgent need for structural reforms to address the sexual abuse crisis with a focus on survivors, and how his background may shape Vatican-China diplomacy going forward.
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35:10
Not Francis 2.0: Cardinals’ first impressions of Pope Leo XIV
Gerard O’Connell shares insights from his interviews with seven cardinal-electors about why they chose Pope Leo XIV: a missionary with a global outlook, a leader known for deep listening, a promoter of synodality, and someone they found deeply credible. We also cover Pope Leo’s first priestly ordinations in Rome, where he urged new priests to live “lives that are known, lives that can be read, lives that are credible.” At the Jubilee Mass for Families, he said, “We must be prepared to defend the family.” Though some saw this as signaling a return to a firmer stance, this is a teaching popes in living memory have always upheld. Plus, Pope Leo blesses riders of the Giro d’Italia as the race passes through the Vatican Gardens.
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34:36
Leo XIV greets Vatican employees with humility, warmth—and a €500 bonus
Pope Leo XIV met with 5,000 Vatican employees this week, thanking them for their dedication and recognizing their role as the Vatican’s “institutional memory.” To acknowledge their extra work during the papal transition, he surprised them with a €500 bonus. We discuss what this gesture reveals about his leadership style and efforts to boost staff morale. We also recap his packed Sunday schedule: his installation at St. John Lateran, prayers at Pope Francis’s tomb and before the Salus Populi Romani icon, and a meeting with the mayor of Rome. Plus: his renewed calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and release of humanitarian aid, Vatican efforts to mediate peace in the Russia-Ukraine war, and the launch of the Vatican’s redesigned website.
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33:50
The opening message of Pope Leo XIV’s papacy
A week into the papacy of Pope Leo XIV—the first U.S.-born pope—hosts Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell take stock of the emerging contours and dimensions of his leadership. They begin with his private meeting with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and what it might suggest about his diplomatic approach amid tensions between the Vatican and the U.S. over issues like migration and climate. They then turn to his emotional inauguration Mass, where the pope quoted St. Augustine, received the woolen pallium and fought back tears as the Fisherman’s Ring was placed on his finger. Finally, they consider how his early private audiences, formal speeches and video messages suggest a papacy in continuity with Pope Francis, yet possibly distinguished by a more scripted, deliberate style and a gift for expressing ideas with arresting elegance. One phrase he has already repeated might offer a defining glimpse into his papal politic: “disarmed and disarming.”
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34:04
What Pope Leo’s first days tell us about his priorities
Welcome to America magazine’s Conclave Podcast. Our editors are on the ground in Rome covering the first days of Leo XIV’s historic papacy.
Today, Pope Leo met with members of the Vatican press corps and the thousands of other media in Rome covering his election, telling them to be peacemakers and calling for the release of all imprisoned journalists.
On our final episode recorded in Rome, the team discusses:
How Pope Leo related to the media, and the importance of his message of peace and truth in a world threatened by war and the rise of A.I.
Pope Leo’s meeting with the College of Cardinals on Saturday, in which he signaled that he would continue the work started by Pope Francis
Pope Leo’s “honeymoon” period—and the opposition he will inevitably face
This episode features:
Sebastian Gomes, America’s executive editor of audio and video
Gerard O’Connell, America’s Vatican correspondent
Ashley McKinless, executive editor and co-host of America’s “Jesuitical” podcast
Links from the show:
Pope Leo XIV calls for the release of imprisoned journalists, tells media to be peacemakers
Full text: Pope Leo XIV’s address to the media
Pope Leo XIV’s message to the cardinals: Vatican II and Pope Francis are here to stay
Full text: Pope Leo XIV’s first formal address to the College of Cardinals
Interview: Chicago’s Cardinal Cupich on why the cardinals chose Pope Leo XIV
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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.
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