Gerard O'Connell
Verified- Associate Editor and Vatican Correspondent, America Magazine
- Co-Host, Inside The Vatican (Podcast)
Rome
Vatican Correspondent for America magazine. Latest book "The Election of Pope Francis: An Inside Account of the Conclave that changed history"
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Articles by Gerard O'Connell
Analysis: Pope Leo XIV meets with Outreach founder Father James Martin, S.J.
Outreach Original Gerard O'Connell / September 1, 2025 Print this: This article first appeared at America on Sept. 1, 2025, with the headline, “Pope Leo meets with Father James Martin, seen as a sign of support for ministry with L.G.B.T.Q. Catholics.” Pope Leo XIV received James Martin, S.J., editor-at-large at America and the founder of Outreach, in private audience in the papal library of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace this morning, Sept.
Pope Leo appoints French archbishop to succeed Cardinal O’Malley as president of Pontifical Commission for Protection of Minors
Pope Leo XIV has appointed the French archbishop of Chambéry, Thibault Verny, as the new president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, the Vatican announced today, July 5. Archbishop Verny, 59, has been a member of the commission since 2022. He succeeds Cardinal Seán O’Malley, 81, the emeritus archbishop of Boston who has served with distinction as the first president of the commission ever since Pope Francis first established it in 2014 as an advisory body to the pope.
Pope Leo XIV: Western Christians must reject ‘fake news’ and help the suffering Eastern churches
Pope Leo XIV denounced the “violent conflict [that] seems to be raging in the Christian East with a diabolical intensity previously unknown” and said the Christians of the West must do more to help the Christians of the East, especially those suffering in Ukraine, Gaza and other places in the Middle East. “All of us, by virtue of our humanity,” he said, “are called upon to examine the causes of these conflicts, to identify those that are real and to attempt to resolve them.
Pope Leo calls for Middle East peace after ‘heinous terrorist attack’ on church in Syria
Pope Leo XIV today appealed for peace and reconciliation in four countries of the Middle East—Israel, Iran, Palestine and Syria—that have experienced tremendous violence in recent days. He did so at the end of the public audience in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, June 25, when he addressed thousands of pilgrims from all continents.
Pope Leo calls for stop to the Israel-Iran war after U.S. bombs Iranian nuclear sites
“Let diplomacy silence the guns!” Pope Leo XIV told the crowd in St. Peter’s Square after he recited the Angelus prayer on Sunday. Hours earlier, the Israel-Iran war escalated after the United States entered the war on Israel’s side by bombing three of Iran’s nuclear sites. “Today more than ever, humanity cries out and invokes peace,” the pope said.
Pope says the church ‘needs journalists’ to maintain a culture of prevention in response to the abuse crisis
Loading... Click here if you don’t see subscription options Paola Ugaz, a Peruvian journalist who helped expose the abuse committed by leaders of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, gives Pope Leo XIV a stole made of alpaca wool during the pope's meeting with members of the media on May 12 in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican.
As Trump threatens Iran, Pope Leo issues a strong warning against modern weapons of war
Pope Leo XIV called on world leaders to reject the temptation to use “powerful and sophisticated weapons,” as President Donald J. Trump aired the possibility of using massive bombs to destroy Iran’s Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plant, located deep under a mountain.
Pope Leo calls for ‘responsibility and reason’ as Israel-Iran conflict escalates
Loading... Click here if you don’t see subscription options Pope Leo XIV prays at the conclusion of an audience with pilgrims in Rome for the Holy Year 2025 in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican June 14, 2025.
Pope Leo at Pentecost: The Holy Spirit opens borders in hearts, in relationships and between peoples
Loading... Click here if you don’t see subscription options Pope Leo XIV greets people as he rides in the popemobile before celebrating Pentecost Mass in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican June 8, 2025, concluding the Jubilee of Ecclesial Movements, Associations and New Communities.
Pope Leo on Nicaea, synodality and the missionary need for a common date for Easter
Loading... Click here if you don’t see subscription options Pope Leo XIV greets participants attending a conference on the ecumenical implications of the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea June 7, 2025, in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican. (CNS photo/Vatican Media) Pope Leo XIV addressed Catholic and Orthodox participants this morning, June 7, at a symposium in Rome on the Council of Nicea and the journey to Christian unity.
Pope Leo XIV and Russia’s Vladimir Putin have first phone call
Pope Leo XIV and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke together by phone today, June 4, for the first time, the Kremlin said. The Russian news agency Interfax reported the news. ANSA, the main Italian news agency, said that according to Interfax, “Vladimir Putin expressed appreciation in a phone call with the Pope for his willingness to help resolve the Ukrainian crisis.” The Vatican has not yet commented on the news.
Pope Leo: Families are the cradle of the future of humanity
Loading... Click here if you don’t see subscription options Pope Leo XIV greets a child as he rides in the popemobile before celebrating Mass in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on June 1, 2025, as part of the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents and the Elderly.
Cardinal Gracias: Pope Leo ‘is the ideal man to lead the church at this time’
10 hours ago If you think your tax bill is high, try being the new pope — Pope Leo XIV has the distinction of not only being the first American pope, but possibly the first one to have to pay U.S. taxes on the generous salary he is offered. Find Out: Trump Wants To Replace Income Taxes With Tariffs: 2 Impacts on …
Cardinal McElroy on Pope Leo’s missionary past and if Trump influenced the conclave
When the 133 cardinals from 70 countries gathered in conclave to elect the new pope, “the primary lens through which most electors viewed [Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost] was as a missionary,” not his nationality. That was what Cardinal Robert McElroy, the archbishop of Washington, told America’s Vatican correspondent in this interview in Rome on May 19, the day after the Mass for the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV as the 266th successor of St. Peter.
Speaking to the people of Rome, Pope Leo pledges ‘the little I have and am’
Leo XIV dedicated his third Sunday as pope to the city and diocese of Rome, and from “the mother church of the world”—the Basilica of St. John Lateran—he told the people that he loved them and, in a striking act of humility he said, “I offer you ‘the little I have and am.’” He said he wished to “listen to everyone as much as possible, in order to learn, understand and decide things together” and to be, in the words of Saint Augustine, “a Christian with you and a Bishop for you.” It was a...
Cardinal Czerny on if Pope Leo is a new Francis, a new Benedict-or something else
Cardinal Michael Czerny was one of the four Jesuits and four Canadian cardinals among the 133 cardinal electors from 70 countries who voted in the conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV on May 8. Born in Czechoslovakia, his family emigrated from the Communist-run country when he was just 2 years old and found refuge in Canada, where he studied and joined the Jesuits. He later worked in the Jesuit Curia in Rome as well as Africa and Central America.
Interview: the Jesuit building Brazil’s premier Laudato Si’ university
In his first video message as pope, Leo XIV told participants at an international conference on “ecological debt and public hope”in Rio de Janeiro, held from May 20 to 24, “Be builders of bridges of integration between the Americas and with the Iberian Peninsula, working for ecological, social and environmental justice.” “I encourage [you] to keep building bridges,” the pope told participants of the five-day conference organized by the Network of Universities for the Care of Our Common Home.
Cardinal Chow on the conclave: We voted for a pastor for the world
Cardinal Stephen Chow, 65, the bishop of Hong Kong, was the only Chinese cardinal to vote in the conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV. He spoke to America’s Vatican correspondent about his experience in the conclave. Cardinal Chow was not the first Chinese cardinal to vote in a papal election; he was, in fact, the third.
Cardinal Chow on the conclave: We voted for a pastor for the world
Cardinal Stephen Chow, 65, the bishop of Hong Kong, was the only Chinese cardinal to vote in the conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV. He spoke to America’s Vatican correspondent about his experience in the conclave. Cardinal Chow was not the first Chinese cardinal to vote in a papal election; he was, in fact, the third.
JD Vance meets with Pope Leo, invites him to the U.S.
Loading... Click here if you don’t see subscription options Pope Leo XIV meets with U.S. Vice President JD Vance in the library of the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican on May 19, 2025. (CNS photo/Vatican Media) Pope Leo XIV received the U.S. Vice President, JD Vance, in a private audience this morning, May 19, the Vatican said in a communique to the press.
Pope Leo XIV: 'This is the hour for love'
Pope Leo XIV receives the fisherman's ring, symbolizing his role as successor to St. Peter, from Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle during the pope's installation Mass in St. Peter's Square on May 18, 2025. (CNS photo/Kendall McLaren) “Brothers and sisters, this is the hour for love!” With these words, Pope Leo XIV called for unity in the Catholic Church so that it may be a credible witness and force for reconciliation in a polarized, divided and war torn world.
Pope Leo XIV: We must 'train others in critical thinking' and 'encounter and listen to the poor'
In the current digital age, Pope Leo XIV said, “we must rediscover, emphasize and cultivate our duty to train others in critical thinking, countering temptations to the contrary, which can also be found in ecclesial circles.” He also stated we must commit ourselves “to encounter and listen to the poor, who are a treasure for the church and for humanity.” Observing that “there is so little dialogue around us; shouting often replaces it, not infrequently in the form of fake news and irrational...
Pope Leo to diplomats: The church will always speak truth and work for justice
When Pope Leo XIV met the ambassadors from the 184 countries that have diplomatic relations with the Holy See for the first time since his election, he told them that peace, justice and truth are three essential words “that represent the church’s missionary activity and the aim of the Holy See’s diplomacy.” He received them in the Clementine Hall of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace on the morning of May 16, and was welcomed by the retiring dean of the diplomatic corps, George Poulides,...
Pope Leo XIV promises Eastern Catholics he will work for peace in their war-torn countries
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Interview: Chicago’s Cardinal Cupich on Leo XIV, the hometown pope
Cardinal Blase Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago, was one of the 10 U.S. cardinal electors at the conclave that elected the first ever American pope. He granted this interview to America’s Vatican correspondent in Rome on Sunday, May 11, before returning tomorrow to Chicago, where plans are being developed for a public event to celebrate the election. He confirmed that Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost obtained more than the 89 votes needed for election—without disclosing the exact number.
Pope Leo XIV’s first Sunday blessing: Appeals for peace, vocations and happy Mother’s Day.
On his first Sunday appearance as pope, Leo XIV made a passionate appeal for peace and an end to the armed conflicts in the world, especially in Ukraine and Gaza, and cried out, “Never again war!” He recalled that May 8, the day of his election as pope, marked the 80th anniversary of “the terrible tragedy” of the Second World War in which 60 million people were killed.
White smoke
Loading... Click here if you don’t see subscription options White smoke billows from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel during the conclave to elect a new pope, at the Vatican, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) Habemus papam! We have a pope. We don’t yet know his name, but we know the cardinals in conclave have elected a pope.
Doors locked from the inside: Conclave is a ritual that dates back nearly 1,000 years
VATICAN — The conclave to elect the new pope — the successor to Pope Francis and the 266th successor to St. Peter — begins on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 7, when 133 cardinals from 70 countries and all continents enter the Sistine Chapel to cast their first vote in an election that is hidden from the eyes of the world.
Interview: Cardinal Czerny on why it shouldn’t matter where the next pope is from
Cardinal Michael Czerny, 78, is one of four Jesuits who will cast their vote in the conclave that opens on May 7 to elect the 266th successor of St. Peter. Born in Czechoslovakia, his family emigrated from the Communist-run country when he was just 2 years old and found refuge in Canada, where he studied and joined the Jesuits.
Hong Kong’s Jesuit Cardinal Chow on the conclave, the next pope and Francis’ legacy
Cardinal Stephen Chow, S.J., the bishop of Hong Kong, reflected on the death and legacy of Pope Francis in this interview with America and shared his feelings as he prepares to enter the conclave where he will cast his vote to elect the 266th successor of St. Peter. I spoke with him on April 28 in the Jesuit Curia, not far from the Vatican, where he is staying until he enters the conclave on May 7. He began by sharing his reaction to the death of Pope Francis.
Cardinal ‘Ambo’ David on the greatest need of the church today
Loading... Click here if you don’t see subscription options Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan, Philippines, speaks during a briefing about the assembly of the Synod of Bishops at the Vatican Oct. 18, 2023. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez) Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, 66, is one of three Filipino cardinals who will enter the Sistine Chapel on May 7 to vote for the successor to Pope Francis and the 266th successor to St. Peter. The other two are Luis Antonio Tagle, 67, and Jose Advincula, O.P., 73.
Interview: Cardinal Müller on if Pope Francis was a heretic and what he wants in the next pope
Cardinal Gerhard Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, is pictured before Pope Francis' general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican in this Nov. 19, 2014, file photo.
Hong Kong’s Jesuit Cardinal Chow on the conclave, the next pope and Francis’ legacy
Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan of Hong Kong, arrives to attend a general congregation meeting of the College of Cardinals in the New Synod Hall at the Vatican April 29, 2025. (CNS photo/Pablo Esparza) Cardinal Stephen Chow, S.J., the bishop of Hong Kong, reflected on the death and legacy of Pope Francis in this interview with America and shared his feelings as he prepares to enter the conclave where he will cast his vote to elect the 266th successor of St. Peter.
Backer of Cardinal Parolin attacks Pope Francis’ push for lay involvement in church governance
Cardinal Beniamino Stella stunned many cardinals this morning, April 30, at the seventh pre-conclave plenary assembly of cardinals when, according to a cardinal present, “he openly attacked Pope Francis” for “bypassing the long-standing tradition of the church” that linked the power of governance in the church to holy orders. Pope Francis, said Cardinal Stella, “instead imposed his own ideas” by opening positions of governance in the Roman Curia and the church to men and women not in holy orders.
Archbishop Costelloe: Pope Francis was ‘a force for unity in the world’
What is Pope Francis’ legacy to the church? What can one hope for from the conclave that opens on May 7 to elect the successor to Francis? Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, S.D.B., 70, the president of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference, answers these questions and more in this exclusive interview with America before he returned to Perth, Western Australia, after representing the Australian bishops at Francis’ funeral.
Backer of Cardinal Parolin attacks Pope Francis’ push for lay involvement in church governance
Loading... Click here if you don’t see subscription options Pope Francis greets Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, during a meeting with nuncios from around the world at the Vatican June 13, 2019. The cardinal is among the possible contenders to succeed Pope Francis, formerly Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who died April 21, 2025, at age 88.
Archbishop Costelloe: Pope Francis was ‘a force for unity in the world’
What is Pope Francis’ legacy to the church? What can one hope for from the conclave that opens on May 7 to elect the successor to Francis? Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, S.D.B., 70, the president of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference, answers these questions and more in this exclusive interview with America before he returned to Perth, Western Australia, after representing the Australian bishops at Francis’ funeral.
How the College of Cardinals chose the date for the next conclave
The conclave to elect the next pope will open on May 7, Vatican officials announced today. The cardinals meeting in plenary assembly (called general congregations) in the Vatican decided the date this morning, April 28. This important decision was made by 180 of the 252 members of the College of Cardinals.
A final goodbye to my friend, Pope Francis
Yesterday, I walked with my wife, Elisabetta Piqué, to the chapel of Santa Marta in Vatican City to bid our final farewell to Pope Francis, a man who had been our friend for more than 20 years. It was a profoundly emotional moment as we stood in front of his simple coffin. We then sat and prayed in that chapel where we had prayed many times with him before.
The three surprises of Pope Francis’ funeral
Loading... Click here if you don’t see subscription options Hundreds of priests, wearing white albs and red stoles, concelebrate the funeral Mass of Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican April 26, 2025. (CNS photo/Pablo Esparza) Pope Francis has finished his earthly journey and is now buried in the side nave between the chapel of the Salus Populi Romaniand the Sforza chapel of the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.
St. Peter’s Basilica stays open all night as nearly 100,000 mourners pay respects to Pope Francis
So many mourners lined up to see Pope Francis lying in state in a simple wooden coffin inside St. Peter’s Basilica that the Vatican kept the doors open all night due to higher-than-expected turnout, closing the basilica for just an hour and a half Thursday morning for cleaning. By 7 o’clock on Thursday evening, April 24, more than 90,000 people from many nations had already paid their final respects.
Pope Francis transformed the church-and challenged the world | A Video Tribute
By Gerard O’Connell, 24 April 2025 A tribute to Pope Francis (1936-2025) from journalists and theologians. Read America Magazine’s obituary on the life and legacy of Pope Francis. With thanks to America Magazine and Gerard O’Connell. Tags PopePope FrancisPope Francis deathtribute
A final goodbye to my friend, Pope Francis
Pope Francis greets Gerard O'Connell, Vatican correspondent for America magazine, during an audience with members of the International Association of Journalists Accredited to the Vatican in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace Jan. 22, 2024. (CNS photo/Vatican Media) Yesterday, I walked with my wife, Elisabetta Piqué, to the chapel of Santa Marta in Vatican City to bid our final farewell to Pope Francis, a man who had been our friend for more than 20 years.
Pope Francis, trailblazing Jesuit with a heart for the poor, dies at 88
Pope Francis greets the crowd as he leads his Christmas message and blessing "urbi et orbi" (to the city and the world) from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Dec. 25, 2019. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) When the cardinals voted to elect Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the 265th successor of St. Peter on the evening of March 13, 2013, few of them imagined what kind of pope he would be. They surprised the world by electing the first Latin American and first-ever Jesuit pope.
Pope Francis appears to crowds on Easter Sunday after brief meeting with JD Vance
Pope Francis greets the crowd before delivering his Easter blessing "urbi et orbi" (to the city and the world) from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican April 20, 2025. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez) Pope Francis continues to surprise the world.
Pope Francis will visit a prison ‘in a private way’ on Holy Thursday-if his health allows
Loading... Click here if you don’t see subscription options Pope Francis greets the heath care workers and medical staff who cared for him during his hospitalization during a meeting at the Vatican April 16, 2025. (CNS photo/Justin McLellan) Pope Francis, 88, will visit Rome’s Regina Coeli prison “in a private way” on Holy Thursday afternoon if his health condition allows it, two Italian news agencies, AGI and ANSA, reported on Wednesday afternoon, April 16.
Head of the Jesuits on Trump, Rupnik and the state of the Society of Jesus today
“You don’t do that!” That is what Arturo Sosa, S.J., the superior general of the Society of Jesus, would say to President Donald J. Trump about his mass deportation of undocumented migrants if he had the opportunity to meet him. Father Sosa said this in response to a question from America at a meeting with journalists at the Foreign Press Association headquarters in Rome on April 10.
Andrew Little To Stand For Mayor Of Wellington
Andrew Little today announced he will stand for Mayor of Wellington in the 2025 local elections. “I’m standing for Mayor because Wellington needs urgent change and serious leadership. I believe I have the experience and the steel to end the chaos at Council and return it to what it should be doing, servicing the needs of all who live here. “We all love this city.
Pope Francis delegates cardinals to celebrate Holy Week liturgies
Pope Francis’ condition continues to improve, and he has written the meditations that will accompany the Way of the Cross at Rome’s Colosseum on Good Friday, the director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, told Vatican journalists at a briefing on April 15.
Interview: Holy Land Christians raise their voices for the suffering people of Palestine
The killing and the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza and in the Israeli-occupied territories of the West Bank of Palestine continue unabated, almost eclipsed from public view in the United States and Western Europe by the disruptive global actions of President Donald Trump, first with deportations and now with the war of tariffs.
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