He Talks About His Experience and thoughts throughout that long period. His reflections are his own.

CNS: Now 92, Monsignor Kasteel 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 Orland…

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:

SH: An excellent interview overall, imo. I only wish he had been asked about Summorum Pontificum and the author-Pope’s resignation.