Pope Leo today received the National Constitution Center’s liberty medal and gave an acceptance speech via livestream from the Vatican. Colleen Dulle recaps his message. Links from the show: Read: Pope Leo’s message to the United States on its 250th anniversary Subscribe to America Magazine (use promo code VATICAN for $10 off an annual digital subscription) Fill out our listener survey! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, July 2, in response to the SSPX’s illicit ordinations of bishops, the Vatican announced that not only were the bishops involved in the ordination automatically excommunicated and in schism, but that any clergy of SSPX or lay members who “adhere” to the schism are also to be considered excommunicated. Links from the show: The Vatican and SSPX controversy, explained Vatican declares excommunicated SSPX bishops, warns priests and lay faithful of schism Analysis: SSPX excommunications show what Pope Leo means by church ‘unity’ Subscribe to America Magazine Fill out our listener survey! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this season finale of “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen and Gerry discuss the hectic weeks before Pope Leo’s summer vacation. First they recap the pope’s trip to Pavia to visit the remains of St. Augustine and the home of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, his speech to the World Food Program and the Vatican’s denial of the German bishops’ request to allow lay people to preach homilies. They also look ahead to this week’s consistory of cardinals, the illicit ordinations planned by SSPX, the pope’s address to Americans on July 3 and his trip to Lampedusa July 4, along with how Leo plans to spend his summer vacation. In this episode, Gerry also breaks the news of how many days Pope Leo will spend in Argentina, Peru and Uruguay this fall. 0:00 Intro 1:17 Pope Leo’s visit to Pavia and Cabrini’s hometown 4:52 Breaking News - Pope Leo’s agenda for Latin America 5:44 Pope Leo’s visit to the World Food Program 10:50 Vatican says no to lay homilies during Mass 11:35 Meeting of continental synod leaders at Vatican 16:38 Consistory of cardinals on war, AI and the synod 23:49 Cardinals could discuss SSPX at consistory 28:44 Pope Leo’s address to Americans July 3 34:06 Pope Leo’s July 4 visit to Lampedusa 34:53 What we know about Pope Leo’s summer plans 39:22 Please fill out our listener survey! Links: Pope Leo XIV exalts first American saint Cabrini as a model for Christians for her care of migrants Pope Leo: War is ‘fed more easily’ than the hungry Vatican to German bishops: No lay people preaching homilies at Mass SSPX stands firm against Vatican II in open letter to Pope Leo Extraordinary consistory signals Pope Leo’s push to work with cardinals on global challenges Fill out our Listener Survey! Follow Gerry on X: @gerryorome  Follow Colleen on Instagram: @colleendulle  Support Inside the Vatican by becoming a subscriber to America Magazine! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pope Leo visited Spain from June 6-12, a visit that drew record-breaking crowds. This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerard O’Connell recaps for Colleen Dulle the highlights from the pope’s three stops: Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands. On the last day, Gerry reports, Leo spoke out against those who take advantage of migrants “like I’ve rarely seen him,” shouting, “Stop! Repent!” After this episode was recorded, Pope Leo spoke to journalists outside Castel Gandolfo, saying “Thank God” for the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding and commenting on the upcoming illicit ordinations of bishops for the Society of St. Pius X. Regarding the latter, he said, ““If they make that choice, I am sorry, but we must move forward.” Interview: Madrid’s Cardinal Cobo says Pope Leo’s visit to Spain ‘is bringing out the best in people’ In Spain, Pope Leo denounces polarization and hails commitment to multilateralism More than one million attend Pope Leo’s Mass and procession in the heart of Madrid Pope Leo defends the unborn and migrants in historic speech to Spanish parliament Pope Leo meets with 6 clergy abuse survivors in Spain Pope Leo blesses 21 ambulances that an Argentine nun is taking to Ukraine Pope Leo tackles depression, domestic violence and the ‘cult of self-image’ in dialogue with young people Pope Leo visits famed Spanish monastery, entrusting his ministry to the Virgin of Montserrat Pope Leo XIV honors Antoni Gaudí and blesses the Sagrada Familia’s final tower ‘Human dignity has no passport’: Pope Leo visits Gran Canaria Pope Leo ends visit to Spain with a call to repent Pope Leo speaks out on SSPX ordinations and U.S.-Iran deal Follow Gerry on X: @gerryorome  Follow Colleen on Instagram: @colleendulle  Support Inside the Vatican by becoming a subscriber to America Magazine! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pope Leo’s encyclical ‘Magnifica Humanitas,’ published May 25, has sparked debates in the worlds of technology and theology while galvanizing online creators opposed to artificial intelligence. Anna Rowlands, a theologian and co-presenter of the text with Pope Leo, joins Colleen Dulle to parse the encyclical’s reception, its contributions to Catholic teaching, and whether workers can use the encyclical to justify religious exemptions to using A.I. Links: Pope Leo’s trip to Spain: Background on Sagrada Familia, migrant advocacy and a changing Catholic landscape More than one million attend Pope Leo’s Mass and procession in the heart of Madrid Pope Leo meets with 6 clergy abuse survivors in Spain Pope Leo meets Bad Bunny in Madrid A.I. is the headline for ‘Magnifica Humanitas,’ but Catholic social teaching is its spine Why ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ is Pope Leo’s most important action on synodality yet Follow Gerry on X: @gerryorome  Follow Colleen on Instagram: @colleendulle  Support Inside the Vatican by becoming a subscriber to America Magazine! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell discuss EWTN News President and COO Montserrat “Montse” Alvarado as prefect of the Vatican’s dicastery for communications. They unpack some of the challenges currently facing the dicastery and analyze the appointment in light of the Vatican’s previously strained relationship with EWTN. In the second half of the show, Gerry gives a preview of Pope Leo’s trip to Spain next week. 0:00 Intro 0:48 The dicastery for communications’ challenges 3:32 Montse Alvarado’s appointment and experience 6:38 First lay woman to head a Vatican dicastery 11:08 Significance of an American as head of communications 13:49 Alvarado steered EWTN away from conflict with Francis 17:19 Pope Leo’s vision for communications 21:38 Pope Leo to address Spanish parliament in Madrid 24:29 Pope Leo’s visit to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona 26:20 Pope Leo to highlight migration in Canary Islands 28:04 Other possible events for pope’s Spain trip 31:34 Outro and credits Links: Pope Leo appoints president of EWTN News as head of Vatican communications Pope Francis responds to attacks from EWTN, other church critics: ‘They are the work of the devil.’ Explainer: The story behind Pope Francis’ beef with EWTN Pope Leo’s trip to Spain: Background on Sagrada Familia, migrant advocacy and a changing Catholic landscape Bad Bunny wants to meet Pope Leo XIV. In Madrid, a crossover event is in the works. Follow Gerry on X: @gerryorome  Follow Colleen on Instagram: @colleendulle  Support Inside the Vatican by becoming a subscriber to America Magazine! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on a special “Inside the Vatican” roundtable, a discussion of “Magnifica Humanitas,” Pope Leo’s groundbreaking first encyclical on protecting the human person in the age of artificial intelligence. Host Colleen Dulle sits down with her co-host and senior Vatican correspondent, Gerard O’Connell, as well as America’s president and editor in chief, Sam Sawyer, S.J. They discuss the document’s key takeaways, how it is being received in Silicon Valley, Pope Leo’s challenge for every Catholic in the A.I. age and much more.  Links: Read “Magnifica Humanitas” Pope Leo’s first encyclical tackles A.I., power and human dignity Pope Leo XIV makes historic apology for the Catholic Church’s role in legitimizing slavery Why Pope Leo’s new encyclical quotes Gandalf: Literary images of hope and faith in ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ A capitalist (priest) reads ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ Follow Gerry on X: @gerryorome  Follow Colleen on Instagram: @colleendulle  Support Inside the Vatican by becoming a subscriber to America Magazine! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pope Leo released his encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, on “safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence” today, May 25. (Read the encyclical here. And find America Magazine's extensive coverage of the encyclical here.) Pope Leo presented the encyclical at the Vatican along with the panel of experts, including Christopher Olah, a co-founder of one of the world’s leading AI developers, Anthropic. In a speech at the presentation, Leo stressed that the encyclical had been born out of a process of listening–to scientists and engineers developing AI; political leaders, parents, and teachers; and people concerned about autonomous weapons systems and various forms of exclusion happening on the basis of mass data gathering. Leo recaps the evolution of Catholic Social Teaching through its major documents and by explaining its key principles, in many places anticipating and rebutting criticisms that the church should either stay out of politics or completely rule it. He then moves on to the explicit examination of AI, its development and its effects on humanity in the spheres of education, labor, technology addiction, democracy and many other areas, giving concrete recommendations on how AI development could be better supervised by various configurations of local and international civil, religious and educational authorities. He denounces repeatedly the ways in which A.I. will exacerbate global inequalities, and how it is already concentrating power and decision-making in the hands of a minority of powerful individuals. Leo stresses that, for all of us, the ethics of AI cannot be simplified into “good use of A.I. is good, evil use of A.I. is evil”—AI is not, he says, a morally neutral tool, but “embodies choices and priorities through what it measures, ignores and optimizes, and how it classifies people and situations.” In other words, the moral discernment of AI cannot merely look at the uses to which it is put, but also how it is designed and what vision of the human person and society” is embedded into it . As expected, Leo turns to the use of A.I. in war. In a particularly interesting paragraph, he dismisses just war theory as “outdated,” saying it has “all too often been used to justify any kind of war” and that “Humanity possesses far more effective and capable tools for promoting human life and resolving conflicts, such as dialogue, diplomacy and forgiveness.” The document ends with a long meditation on peace, in which Leo outlines “five paths toward daily and public responsibility.” Magnifica Humanitas includes challenges and fruitful insights for everyone no matter their position in society, and we highly recommend giving it a read. You can find our full coverage, with many forthcoming analysis pieces, at AmericaMagazine.org, and tune in for an episode later this week in which we’ll dig deeper into this major encyclical. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell look ahead to Pope Leo’s forthcoming encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” which is rumored to be a long document dealing with themes of artificial intelligence and humanity. Ahead of the document’s expected release on May 25, Gerry and Colleen recap what is already known about the document, the Vatican’s previous work on A.I. and how encyclicals are written. Links: Pope Leo will publish first encyclical, ‘Magnifica Humanitas,’ on preserving humanity in the A.I. age on May 25 Bishop Flores: Pope Leo’s AI encyclical is coming. Don’t let ChatGPT read it for you. Explainer: Papal documents and their (different) levels of authority Interview: Bishop Paul Tighe on the Vatican’s response to AI What does the Vatican know about A.I.? A lot, actually. Pope Leo’s encyclical comes just in time: AI is raising questions only religion can answer. Follow Gerry on X: @gerryorome  Follow Colleen on Instagram: @colleendulle  Support Inside the Vatican by becoming a subscriber to America Magazine! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerard O’Connell and Colleen Dulle discuss U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Pope Leo XIV, along with recent developments between the Vatican and the Society of St. Pius X, which has committed to illicitly ordain bishops without the Vatican’s approval. In the second part of the show, Colleen and Gerry look at the pope’s visits to Pompeii and Naples, and Gerry explains why he thinks Pope Leo’s forthcoming encyclical won’t be published as expected on May 15. Links from the show: Vatican warns SSPX leaders of excommunication over ‘schismatic act’ of ordaining bishops Pope Leo meets with Marco Rubio amid Trump’s personal attacks Poll: Most Americans disapprove of Trump’s attacks on Pope Leo Pope Leo prays for end to ‘fratricidal hatred’ as he celebrates anniversary in Pompeii Follow Gerry on X: @gerryorome  Follow Colleen on Instagram: @colleendulle  Support Inside the Vatican by becoming a subscriber to America Magazine! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices