Inside The Vatican

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.

Featuring:

Ashley McKinless, executive editor and co-host of the “Jesuitical” podcast

Kerry Weber, executive editor

Colleen Dulle, Vatican correspondent and co-host of the “Inside the Vatican” podcast

Molly Cahill, associate editor

0:00 The Vatican’s final report on women and ministry

4:23 Women’s reactions to the report

11:28 New ministries for women?

20:05 The horizons and limits of women’s authority

30:30 Will women be involved in decision-making?

Links:

⁠The final synod report on women: what it says, what it means and what’s next⁠

⁠Where the women deacons question stands at the Vatican⁠

⁠Full Report of Study Group 5 on “The Participation of Women in the Life and Leadership of the Church⁠”

Please consider supporting Jesuitical by becoming a digital subscriber to America magazine at ⁠americamagazine.org/subscribe⁠
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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.

- 0:00 Breaking the secrecy of a conclave

- 8:10 A Vatican journalist and a war correspondent

- 12:04 Calculating the conclave vote tallies

- 15:09 Pressure campaigns and conclave maneuvering

- 22:17 How the cardinals choose a pope

- 30:10 What the cardinals think of Pope Leo so far

- 35:50 A touching personal story

Links:

The Election of Pope Leo XIV: The Last Surprise of Pope Francis by Gerard O'Connell and Elisabetta Pique

Excerpt: Behind the scenes of Pope Leo XIV’s election

Backer of Cardinal Parolin attacks Pope Francis’ push for lay involvement in church governance

Los puntos débiles de Parolin, el favorito a ser el próximo papa, y el secreto a voces de su relación con Francisco

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Follow Colleen on Instagram: @colleendulle 

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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.”

0:00 Intro

1:50 Did Pope Leo tell American leaders to go to confession?

5:43 Pope Leo calls for ceasefire

8:18 Wars are becoming video games

10:53 Leo’s phone call with Palestinian president

14:44 Pope Leo’s laser focus on peace and unity

17:30 Vatican’s soft power in conflicts

19:26 Pope Leo turns down invite to the US

23:13 Pope Leo moves to the Apolostic Palace

27:30 Update on the Vatican’s “Trial of the Century”

32:34 Pope Leo meets with Gareth Gore

33:26 Outro

Links:

What the Middle East needs: Not more bombs, but ‘hard, focused diplomacy’

Pope Leo to journalists: Don’t become agents of propaganda during wartime

Pope Leo to warring nations in the Middle East: ‘Cease fire!’

Pope Leo to accept Liberty Medal and address Americans on July 3rd

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Follow Colleen on Instagram: @colleendulle 

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This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerard O’Connell and Colleen Dulle discuss comments from Pope Leo XIV and three cardinals on the Iran War, including one cardinal’s analysis of whether the conflict meets the requirements of a “just war.” In the second part of the show, Colleen and Gerry give an overview of the three synod study group final reports that have been released so far: on digital mission, seminaries and women’s roles in the church.

0:00 Intro

1:04 Pope Leo’s comments on Iran

7:30 Cardinal Cupich warns against ‘gamifying’ war

12:25 Cardinal David on war technology

14:10 Cardinal McElroy on Just War Theory

21:27 New papal nuncio to the U.S.

24:33 Synod study group report on digital mission

28:31 Final report on seminary formation

31:46 Final report on women’s ministries

36:36 Why did Cardinal Sako resign?

Links:

Register for Gerry’s book launch

Pope Leo calls for a stop to ‘the thunderous sound of bombs’ in the Middle East

Pope Leo praises heroic action of priest killed by Israeli tank fire in Lebanon

Iran’s Cardinal Mathieu evacuated to Rome

Cardinals McElroy and Cupich denounce Iran war: ‘War now has become a spectator sport.’

Pope Leo appoints Archbishop Caccia as nuncio to the United States

First synod final reports published: on digital culture and seminary formation

The changing face of seminary formation: Group therapy, digital detoxing and more listening

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Follow Colleen on Instagram: @colleendulle 

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On Saturday morning, Feb. 28, the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran, killing its leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with other senior regime figures. The following day, Pope Leo appealed for peace, urging world leaders to stop “the spiral of violence before it becomes an unbridgeable chasm.” This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Veteran Vatican Correspondent Gerard O’Connell explains why he saw Leo’s comments as relatively restrained compared to John Paul II’s at the beginning of the Iraq War.

In the second part of the show, Gerry shares a story from his forthcoming book on the 2025 conclave.

0:00 Intro

2:20 Vatican response to Iran war

7:05 John Paul II on the 2003 Iraq War

9:07 Pope Leo decries 'zeal for war'

10:48 Archbishop Coakley speaks out on war

11:30 On the Christian communities of Tehran

12:50 Pope Leo talks on Hong Kong activist Jimmy Lai

14:18 Cardinal Parolin's statements on the war

19:00 What difference the Vatican make

22:14 Stories from Gerry's new book on the conclave

25:40 Cardinal forgets to give away his phone

27:25 Cardinals unused to having no phones

29:00 Behind the scenes of the conclave

32:05 Is the conclave not 'top secret'?

33:26 Outro

Links:

Pope Leo urges a halt to ‘spiral of violence’ across Iran and Middle East

Cardinal Parolin on Iran war: ‘The force of law has been replaced by the law of force’

Address of Pope Leo XIV to Members of the Diplomatic Corps Accredited to the Holy See, Jan. 9, 2026

Against Unjust and Unjustified War with Iran

I regret supporting the Iraq War. We shouldn’t repeat our mistakes in Iran now.

Book Excerpt: Behind the scenes of Pope Leo XIV’s election

The Election of Pope Leo XIV: The Last Surprise of Pope Francis

Follow Gerry on X: @gerryorome 

Follow Colleen on Instagram: @colleendulle 

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