Vatican Access with Robert Duncan

Canadian sculptor Timothy Schmalz is known for bringing provocative Christian imagery into public spaces around the world. His most famous works include Homeless Jesus, which depicts Christ sleeping on a park bench, and Angels Unawares, a monumental sculpture of migrants and refugees installed in St. Peter’s Square under Pope Francis. For Schmalz, religious art should do more than inspire devotion: it should confront society with the uncomfortable demands of the Gospel.In this conversation, Schmalz recounts the stories behind these sculptures and reflects on the uneasy relationship between Christianity, contemporary art and politics. He explains why he believes much of today's Catholic art has become overly sentimental, how his conversion at 17 shaped his artistic mission, and why he rejects criticism of the Church’s spending on religious art. He also discusses Pope Francis’ influence, the challenge of communicating Christianity to an increasingly secular culture, and what he hopes his sculptures will reveal about the Church to future generations.Guest bio:Timothy Schmalz is a Canadian sculptor internationally known for his large-scale religious works, particularly Homeless Jesus and Angels Unawares. His sculptures are installed in churches, cathedrals and public spaces around the world, including St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican. Working primarily in bronze, Schmalz draws inspiration from Scripture and Catholic social teaching, seeking to make Christian themes visible and accessible to people of all backgrounds.Original music and certain illustrations were created or enhanced using AI.

Economist Jeffrey Sachs has advised governments through some of the most consequential geopolitical transformations of the past half-century, including the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe. A longtime collaborator with Vatican institutions, Sachs has worked on issues of economic justice, peace and international development under several popes, beginning with Saint John Paul II. Now, he is drawing attention to Pope Leo XIV’s warnings about artificial intelligence, personally delivering the pope’s message to world leaders during a journey across Eurasia inspired by Marco Polo.In this conversation, Sachs reflects on his encounters with Saint John Paul II, his role in Poland’s transition from communism, and why he believes the end of the Cold War was a missed opportunity for lasting peace. He challenges the idea that the United States won the Cold War, and explains why he believes American foreign policy has become dangerously focused on global dominance. Turning to the present, Sachs considers the significance of an American pope at a time of shifting world power and recounts his self-appointed mission to bring Pope Leo XIV’s message on artificial intelligence to political and religious leaders across Eurasia. He also explains why he believes the Catholic Church has a unique role to play in preventing global conflict and shaping a more peaceful world.Guest bio:Jeffrey D. Sachs is an American economist, author and professor at Columbia University who has spent more than four decades advising governments and international organizations on economic development, poverty reduction and global policy. He played a prominent advisory role in Poland’s economic transformation following the collapse of communism and later advised governments in the former Soviet Union. He is a member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and his work with Vatican institutions stretches back to the pontificate of Saint John Paul II.Original music was created using AI.

Bishop Louis Tylka of Peoria, Illinois, is planning to bring the legendary Catholic television evangelist Blessed Fulton Sheen back to life as an interactive AI hologram. Visitors will be able to see Blessed Sheen, hear him speak, and eventually ask him questions, with responses drawn from his extensive writings and recorded teachings. The project is part of a proposed museum experience dedicated to Blessed Sheen, whose pioneering television programs attracted audiences of millions in the 1950s.In this conversation, Bishop Tylka explains how the idea developed, what the hologram will look like, and how artificial intelligence could allow visitors to have a conversation with a man who died nearly 50 years ago. He discusses the ethical questions surrounding AI recreations of the dead, the safeguards intended to prevent the hologram from misrepresenting Blessed Sheen's teachings, and why he believes the technology could introduce a new generation to the Catholic faith. He also reflects on Blessed Sheen's extraordinary success as a television personality, the challenges of communicating Christianity in today's crowded digital landscape, and whether other saints might one day be brought back to life in the same way.Guest bio:Bishop Louis Tylka has served as Bishop of Peoria, Illinois, since 2022, having previously served as a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago. He oversees the cause for the canonization of Blessed Fulton Sheen, who was born in the Diocese of Peoria and is buried in its cathedral. Bishop Tylka has led efforts to promote Blessed Sheen's legacy, including his beatification in September 2026 and plans for the Sheen Experience, a new museum and interactive exhibition intended to introduce future generations to the celebrated Catholic broadcaster.Original music was created using AI.

As bishops from around the world gathered in Rome Oct. 7 to commemorate Pope Francis' Amoris Laetitia ten years after its publication, a Catholic publisher once at the center of a Vatican controversy has returned with a new book on love and marriage. In 2014, Ignatius Press distributed "Remaining in the Truth of Christ," a defense of traditional Catholic teaching on marriage that many commentators interpreted as opposing Cardinal Walter Kasper's proposal to allow some divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Communion. The book became a source of controversy during the Synod on the Family. Now, representatives of the publisher have presented Pope Leo XIV with "YOUCAT Love Forever," a new guide to love and marriage for young Catholics that draws on Amoris Laetitia.In this episode, Jesuit Father Joseph Fessio, founder of Ignatius Press, and its president, Mark Brumley, revisit the controversy surrounding the earlier book. Father Fessio reflects on Pope Francis' pontificate, the challenges of defending Catholic orthodoxy, and what has changed under Pope Leo XIV. Brumley explains why the publisher challenged prevailing views during the synod, whether Amoris Laetitia represented a break with Church tradition, and why he sees continuity between the two pontificates. Ignatius Press editor Thomas Jacobi also discusses the new YOUCAT book, its origins under Pope Francis, and Pope Leo's message to young people about love and marriage.Guest bios:Father Joseph Fessio, SJ, is the founder of Ignatius Press, one of the leading Catholic publishing houses in the United States. A Jesuit priest and theologian, he earned his doctorate under Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI, and has spent decades publishing works on Catholic theology, philosophy and culture.Mark Brumley is the president of Ignatius Press. A Catholic author, editor and apologist, he has worked extensively in Catholic publishing and religious education and helped oversee the publication of "Remaining in the Truth of Christ" in the run-up to the 2014 Synod on the Family.Thomas Jacobi is an associate editor at Ignatius Press, where he works on editorial projects and manuscript acquisitions. He contributed to the English-language edition of "YOUCAT Love Forever," a new guide to Catholic teaching on love, sexuality and marriage that draws on Amoris Laetitia.

As bishops from around the world gather in Rome for a meeting convened by Pope Leo XIV on marriage and the family, J.P. De Gance has been working behind the scenes to help the Church understand what's at stake. His organization, Communio, produced a report on the state of marriage in America, providing research and analysis to inform today's discussions ten years after Pope Francis published "Amoris Laetitia."In this conversation, De Gance reveals why he believes the Catholic Church has failed to respond adequately to the collapse of marriage. He explains why Catholic marriages have declined dramatically in the United States, why most parishes spend too little on marriage ministry, and how the decline of the family may be driving the crisis of faith. He also discusses his conversations with bishops from around the world, whether Pope Francis' reforms have made a practical difference, and what Pope Leo's gathering could accomplish.Guest bio:J.P. De Gance is the founder and president of Communio, a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening marriages and families through churches. Previously involved in public policy, he turned his attention to marriage renewal following a family crisis that brought four nieces and nephews into his home. His work has included a major initiative in Jacksonville, Florida, where 93 churches participated in a program associated with a 24% decline in the local divorce rate over three years. Communio has since worked with nearly 600 churches and parishes in 44 U.S. dioceses.

Monsignor Karel Kasteel has worked in the Vatican for 70 years and served under eight popes, beginning with Pope Pius XII. Now 92, he has witnessed some of the most consequential moments in the modern history of the Catholic Church, including the Second Vatican Council, the 2005 conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI, and decades of change inside the Roman Curia.In this conversation, Monsignor Kasteel reflects on what outsiders misunderstand about the Vatican, why he believes there is far more holiness than wrongdoing inside the Curia, and what has changed over seven decades. He recalls working at the Second Vatican Council, explains why he believes the Council was necessary and remains unfinished, discusses tensions between Pope Francis and the Roman Curia, and shares what he thinks Pope Leo XIV is trying to accomplish. He also takes on Vatican legends and controversies, including politics inside conclaves, alleged spies and secret societies, the death of Pope John Paul I, the “Siri thesis,” the Third Secret of Fatima, and the disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi.Guest bio:Monsignor Karel Kasteel is a Dutch priest who arrived in Rome in 1956 and has spent seven decades working in and around the Roman Curia. He assisted the secretary general of the Second Vatican Council and was present throughout the Council. He later served as dean of the Apostolic Chamber and helped organize the 2005 conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI. Over the course of his Vatican career, he has served under eight popes and worked closely with figures including Mother Teresa, giving him a rare firsthand perspective on the modern history of the papacy and the Catholic Church.Archival images from the Filmoteca Vaticana. For more archival footage from the Second Vatican Council, watch our full-length documentary, Voices of Vatican II: https://youtu.be/Xqh_0wqTz2M?si=tz8Ciz6d_qVp6VAjOriginal music was created using AI.

In the days before Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic visit to France, the famous mosaics at Lourdes by Father Marko Rupnik, a priest and artist accused of sexual abuse, have been covered up. Investigative journalist Federica Tourn, who published the first interview with one of Father Rupnik’s accusers in 2022, has followed the case closely ever since.In this conversation, Tourn explains why the mosaics were covered up ahead of the pope’s visit and what the decision means for the women who have accused Father Rupnik of abuse. What do victims want from Pope Leo? Why is Father Rupnik’s artwork being concealed in France while new mosaics are celebrated at a major shrine in Brazil? And why has the Vatican’s ongoing trial yet to produce a verdict?The discussion traces Father Rupnik’s rise to prominence in the Catholic Church, the allegations against him and the Church’s response. Tourn discusses her reporting on 22 letters alleging abuse dating back to the 1990s, the secrecy surrounding the Vatican proceedings and the sources who have helped her investigation. She also reflects on why survivors trusted her with their stories, the unanswered questions surrounding Father Rupnik’s considerable artistic earnings and what genuine transparency would mean for the Church.This episode features an AI-generated English dub of Federica Tourn’s voice. The transcript and translation were reviewed and edited by CNS staff. Original music was created using AI.Guest bio:Federica Tourn is an Italian investigative journalist who has spent years reporting on sexual abuse and alleged cover-ups in the Catholic Church, particularly in Italy. In December 2022, she published an interview with Gloria Branciani, one of the women accusing Father Marko Rupnik of sexual abuse, in the Italian newspaper Domani. She has continued investigating the case, speaking with survivors, clergy and Vatican sources, and reporting on the handling of abuse allegations within the Church.

Mary Angela Schroth has spent more than 40 years working in the art world in Rome, much of that time at the Pontifical Sanctuary of the Holy Stairs. There, she helped launch and guide a decades-long effort with the Vatican Museums and international donors to restore the sanctuary’s extraordinary Renaissance frescoes -- images that had been obscured by centuries of dirt, pollution, candle smoke and neglect.In this conversation, Schroth tells the inside story of the Holy Stairs, traditionally believed to be the steps Jesus climbed before being judged by Pontius Pilate. How did they come to Rome? Why were the frescoes surrounding them nearly invisible for centuries? And what did it take to bring the sanctuary back to life?The discussion explores the origins of Christian Rome, the restoration campaign supported by the Getty Foundation and Vatican Museums, the discoveries made as the frescoes emerged again, and the donors who helped make the project possible. Schroth also reflects on how the work deepened her own Catholic faith, the extraordinary spiritual experiences pilgrims have reported at the Holy Stairs, and why the sanctuary’s central theme -- the suffering of Christ -- still speaks to the universal question of human suffering.Guest bio:Mary Angela Schroth is an American curator and arts administrator based in Rome. For more than four decades, she has worked with Sala Uno, the nonprofit contemporary art space she founded with priest and sculptor Tito Amodei at the complex of the Pontifical Sanctuary of the Holy Stairs. She played a central role in developing and supporting the long-term conservation of the sanctuary’s frescoes in collaboration with the Vatican Museums and international benefactors.Original music was created using AI; certain illustrations were enhanced using AI.

Bishop Robert Boxie is an auxiliary bishop of Washington and the youngest bishop in the United States. A former lawyer educated at Vanderbilt University and Harvard Law School, he brings both professional experience and a deeply rooted Black Catholic identity to questions of race, faith, and the life of the Church. In this conversation, Bishop Boxie explains why he believes racism is part of the reason there are so few Black bishops in America. He discusses the history of exclusion faced by Black Catholics, his own experience with a Confederate flag in seminary, what white Catholics should understand about the Black Catholic experience, and why the Church needs to speak more openly about racism. He also addresses tokenism, DEI, reconciliation, and what Black Catholics bring to the wider Church.Guest bio:Bishop Robert P. Boxie III is an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington. Before entering the priesthood, he studied engineering at Vanderbilt University and law at Harvard Law School and worked in Washington, D.C. His ministry has included service to the Black Catholic community and pastoral work at Howard University. As bishop, he has spoken frequently about race, Catholic identity, reconciliation, and the importance of ensuring that Black Catholics are fully represented and heard within the life of the Church.Original music was created using AI.Special thanks to Tricia Lloyd and the Gregorian University Foundation for supplemental video footage.

Steve Metzger works inside one of the most important libraries in the world: the Vatican Apostolic Library. A medievalist and Latinist, he studies and catalogs some of the Library’s extraordinary manuscript collections, including works by St. Thomas Aquinas.In this conversation, Metzger asks what happens when AI begins to replace the hard work of reading, thinking, and wrestling with ideas for ourselves. Why is reading a book fundamentally different from getting an instant answer from a machine? What do we lose when knowledge becomes easier, faster and increasingly artificial?The discussion explores Pope Leo XIV’s warnings about AI and education, the decline of serious reading, the danger of losing control of the technologies we create, and the Vatican Library’s mission in a digital age. Metzger also explains why the Library can be understood as an “anti-Babel” -- a place that gathers the languages, texts, and cultures of humanity and puts them back into conversation with one another.Guest bio:Steve Metzger is a researcher and manuscript cataloger at the Vatican Apostolic Library in Rome. A medievalist and Latinist, his work focuses on Latin manuscripts, textual transmission, humanism, and the preservation of the Church’s written heritage.