OUR TEAM

Deborah Tomlinson is the President of Inside the Vatican Pilgrimages and the Executive Director of the Urbi et Orbi Communications. She began working for Urbi et Orbi Communications, the publisher of Inside the Vatican magazine, in 2006. Two years later, in 2008, she founded Inside the Vatican Pilgrimages after recognizing the need for a true pilgrimage experience—one that goes beyond mere tourism to engage the mind, heart, and spirit. Her vision was to create pilgrimages that offer deep encounters, not just with the sacred sites and churches visited, but with the “living stones”—the people met along the way and among the pilgrims themselves. Since then, Deborah has created and led more than 60 pilgrimages to destinations including Rome, England, Germany, Ukraine, Turkey, and Russia. With warmth, thoughtfulness, and a gift for meaningful connection, she has guided pilgrims through intimate experiences of prayer, conversation, and reflection—always rooted in a deep love for the Church and its mission. In addition to her leadership in pilgrimages, Deborah has been instrumental in organizing numerous events with the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity and Orthodox churches worldwide. Her work has fostered stronger ties between Catholic and Orthodox communities, both clergy and laity. One of Deborah’s most cherished initiatives is the Catholic-Orthodox Women’s Council, an ecumenical project she co-founded to foster understanding and friendship among women of faith across traditions. Inspired by Pope St. John Paul II’s call to elevate the unique “feminine genius” within the Church, this initiative seeks to help heal the longstanding schism between East and West through the witness of women.