Vatican Access with Robert Duncan

From Rome, Vatican Access takes viewers inside the conversations, ideas, and decisions shaping today's Catholic Church.

Vatican Access with Robert Duncan is a religion podcast hosted by Catholic News Service, with 24 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Catholic News Service hosts Vatican Access with Robert Duncan, a religion show with 24 episodes published.

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  Vatican Access with Robert Duncan

  How Putin's War Threatens What Pope Leo Wants to Protect

  Jul 24, 202658 min

  Father Daniel Galadza is a Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest, liturgical scholar, and professor at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome. A priest of the Archeparchy of Kyiv, he also serves on the Vatican's Dicastery for the Eastern Churches and has devoted his academic work to the history, theology, and liturgy of the Christian East. Father Galadza brings both scholarly expertise and personal experience to questions surrounding Eastern Christianity, the war in Ukraine, and the relationship between the Eastern Catholic Churches and Rome.In this conversation, Father Galadza reflects on how Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Russian Orthodox Church's support for the war have transformed relations between Ukrainian and Russian Christianity. He explains what the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church can offer the wider Catholic Church, why Pope Leo XIV's early emphasis on the Eastern Churches was so significant, and why increasing numbers of Western Christians are exploring Eastern Christianity. The discussion explores the appeal of Byzantine worship, fasting, and the liturgical life, the unique vocation of the Eastern Catholic Churches as fully Eastern while remaining in communion with Rome, the recovery of authentic Eastern traditions after Vatican II, the role of married priests, and why the deepest challenge of Eastern Christianity is not simply its beauty, but the lifelong spiritual discipline it demands.Guest bio:Father Daniel Galadza is a priest of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and professor of Eastern liturgy at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome. He serves the Archeparchy of Kyiv and works at the Vatican's Dicastery for the Eastern Churches. His research focuses on Byzantine liturgy, the history of the Eastern Catholic Churches, and the theological and liturgical traditions of the Christian East.

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  Vatican Access with Robert Duncan

  Was Pope Leo Elected Because of Donald Trump?

  Jul 17, 202646 min

  Michael Driessen is Professor of Political Science and Director of the MA in International Affairs at John Cabot University in Rome. A leading scholar of religion and international politics, he has spent more than a decade studying interreligious dialogue, peacebuilding, and the global role of the Catholic Church. Earlier this year, Pope Leo XIV appointed him as a consultor to the Vatican's Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.In this conversation, Driessen examines why the cardinals elected the first American pope at a moment of profound geopolitical instability, how the wars in Ukraine and Gaza have tested the limits of interreligious dialogue, and why Pope Leo XIV believes an "unarmed and disarming peace" requires something deeper than diplomacy or political negotiation. He explores the changing global order, the Vatican's relationship with the United States, the future of international cooperation in an increasingly polarized world, and whether religion still has a unique role to play in preventing conflict and building lasting peace.Guest bio:Michael Driessen is Professor of Political Science and Director of the MA in International Affairs at John Cabot University in Rome. He teaches and writes on religion and politics, international relations, and the global diplomacy of the Catholic Church. He is the author of The Global Politics of Interreligious Dialogue: Religious Change, Citizenship and Solidarity in the Middle East (Oxford University Press, 2023). In 2026, Pope Leo XIV appointed him as a consultor to the Vatican's Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, where he advises the Holy See on questions relating to dialogue between religions and its contribution to peace in international affairs.

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  Vatican Access with Robert Duncan

  Can You Forgive a Murderer? Pope Leo Says You Should.

  Jul 10, 202646 min

  Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy is Executive Director of the Catholic Mobilizing Network, the leading Catholic organization in the United States working to end the death penalty and promote restorative justice. For nearly a decade she has been at the forefront of the Catholic movement against capital punishment, engaging with bishops, lawmakers, victims' families, and people on death row. Earlier this year, she briefed Pope Leo XIV on the state of capital punishment in the United States, including the realities of Ohio's death row. In this conversation, Murphy examines the Catholic Church's development of teaching on the death penalty, why Pope Leo XIV has reaffirmed that every human person retains their dignity even after committing the gravest crimes, and how the resurgence of execution methods such as nitrogen gas and firing squads has renewed the urgency of the debate. She responds to the argument that execution can bring about repentance and salvation, explains why the Church's opposition to capital punishment naturally raises questions about life without parole, and argues that justice must always preserve a genuine possibility of redemption and hope. Guest bio: Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy is Executive Director of the Catholic Mobilizing Network, a national organization that educates, organizes, and advocates to end the death penalty, advance restorative justice, and promote healing for all impacted by crime and violence. She has led the organization since 2016, working closely with Catholic dioceses, religious communities, policymakers, and the Vatican to advance the Church's teaching on the dignity of every human person. She recently met with Pope Leo XIV to discuss the state of capital punishment in the United States and the Church's ongoing witness against the death penalty.

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  Vatican Access with Robert Duncan

  How Pope Leo Changed the Future of the SSPX

  Jul 3, 202632 min

  Massimo Introvigne is an Italian sociologist of religion and one of the world's leading scholars of new religious movements. He has written extensively on Catholic traditionalism, religious liberty, and the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), and has spent decades studying the movement, including interviewing Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, its founder. Following the SSPX's recent episcopal consecrations and the Vatican's declaration that they constituted a schismatic act, Introvigne offers a sociological perspective on what the future may hold for the movement. In this conversation, Introvigne argues that the SSPX's deepest disagreement with the Catholic Church is not the Latin Mass but its rejection of the Church's teaching on religious liberty and relations with other religions. He explains why he believes the Society has likely passed its period of strongest growth, how Pope Leo XIV has changed the religious landscape that once benefited the movement, and why the SSPX faces increasing competition from groups even further to its right. The discussion also explores the Society's claims about its membership, the sociology of religious movements, why stricter religious groups often grow, Pope Benedict XVI's liberalization of the traditional Mass, Pope Francis' restrictions, and what Pope Leo might do to strengthen traditional Catholic communities while preserving communion with the Church. Guest bio: Massimo Introvigne is an Italian sociologist of religion, attorney, and internationally recognized expert on new religious movements. He is the founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR) and has authored dozens of books and hundreds of scholarly articles on religion, religious freedom, and contemporary religious movements. His work has included extensive research on Catholic traditionalism and the Society of St. Pius X, as well as collaboration with the late sociologist Rodney Stark on the sociology of religion.

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  Vatican Access with Robert Duncan

  The Kind of Archbishop Pope Leo Wants

  Jun 29, 202634 min

  CREDIT: Additional video footage courtesy Danny Anderson & Relic Films / Archdiocese of Denver. Archbishop James Golka is the Archbishop of Denver, having been appointed by Pope Leo XIV in 2026 after serving as Bishop of Colorado Springs. Before becoming a bishop, he was a parish priest in Nebraska, where he became known for his pastoral approach, commitment to evangelization, and work with Hispanic communities. He received the pallium from Pope Leo in Rome on June 29, 2026 as a symbol of his ministry as an archbishop and his communion with the Holy See. In this conversation, Archbishop Golka reflects on what it means to lead one of America's most dynamic Catholic archdioceses in an increasingly secular culture. He discusses why Denver has become an unexpected center of Catholic renewal, the challenges of evangelization in a politically progressive state, and why he believes many young people are searching for meaning beyond what contemporary culture offers. The conversation also explores abortion, immigration, priestly leadership, the Church's response to the abuse crisis, Catholic life online, Pope Leo's vision for bishops, the spiritual meaning of the pallium, and the personal burdens and joys of serving as an archbishop. Guest bio: Archbishop James Golka was appointed Archbishop of Denver by Pope Leo XIV in 2026 after serving as Bishop of Colorado Springs from 2021.Known for his emphasis on evangelization, discipleship, and pastoral leadership, Archbishop Golka has spoken extensively about the Church's mission in an increasingly secular society, the importance of fostering priestly vocations, and helping Catholics encounter Jesus Christ through the life of the Church. In June 2026, he received the pallium from Pope Leo as metropolitan archbishop of Denver.

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