VZCZCXRO0123
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHROV #0062/01 2261832
ZNR UUUUU ZZH (TAO)
P R 131832Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0971
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN 1005

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 VATICAN 000062 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV KPAO KIRF VT
SUBJECT: THE POPE'S MEGAPHONE:  A SURVEY OF HOLY SEE MEDIA 
 
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INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY 
 
------------------------ 
 
 
 
¶1.  (U)  Media coverage of the Holy See is as global as the 
Catholic Church itself.  The international dimension of the Holy 
See's own communication efforts, as well as that of the media 
covering it, provides Embassy Vatican with a unique platform to 
reach linguistically and geographically diverse audiences on 
issues such as human rights and religious freedom. 
Vatican-affiliated media such as Vatican Radio carry the Pope's 
message in over 40 languages to a global audience of more than a 
billion Catholics.  Additionally, a wide range of Italian and 
international media cover the Holy See, from Catholic focused 
publications - often with global reach - to large Italian 
dailies and Rome-based correspondents for outlets such as the NY 
Times and the BBC. 
 
 
 
¶2.  (U) This survey begins by examining the Holy See's 
understanding of the role of communications in modern society as 
well as its own efforts to bring the Pope's message to the 
world.  The Pontifical Council for Social Communications, led by 
Archbishop Celli, considers the nature and use of communications 
while also handling practical matters such as audio-visual 
accreditations.  The Holy See's own communication efforts are 
led by the Holy See Press Office and its head, Father Federico 
Lombardi, who serves as the official spokesperson.  Vatican 
Radio and the Vatican Television Center are also under his 
leadership and together reach the world through original 
programming and retransmission of Papal events.  The printed 
word is the domain of L'Osservatore Romano, the long-standing, 
official newspaper of the Holy See.  These efforts are supported 
by the work of other entities such as Agenzia Fides, the news 
agency of the Pontifical Mission Society for the Propagation of 
the Faith. 
 
 
 
¶3.  The Holy See is covered, in turn, by a wide range of Italian 
and international media. Catholic-oriented publications are at 
the forefront of such coverage and include Italian publications 
such as Avvenire and Famiglia Cristiana, wire services like 
Catholic News Service and ZENIT, and audiovisual media like the 
Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) and Rome Reports. 
Frequent coverage is also found in the pages of major Italian 
dailies like La Repubblica and Corriere delle Sera and, on a 
more episodic basis, in international publications like the 
International Herald Tribune. 
 
 
 
THE CONCEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS 
 
----------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶4.  (U) The Pontifical Council for Social Communications is led 
by Archbishop Celli (and was formerly led by now-Cardinal Foley 
of Philadelphia) and has as its concern the content, nature, and 
means of communication amongst people.  In essence, its mission 
is two-fold: (1) to support the Church in its communication 
efforts and (2) to encourage the proper use of the means of 
communication.  These efforts find concrete expression in annual 
Papal messages on World Communications Day and in interventions 
in fora such as the U.N. World Summit on Information Society. 
The Council is also responsible for handling requests for 
audiovisual accreditation and for Italian and other foreign 
television coverage related to special events and seasonal 
ceremonies like Easter and Christmas. 
 
 
 
...AND THE MEANS OF COMMUNICATION 
 
--------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶5. (U) Vatican Radio is the Vatican's semi-official radio 
station.  Founded in 1931, and managed by the Society of Jesus, 
the station broadcasts around the world in 45 languages via FM, 
medium wave, short wave, satellite, and the Internet.  Its 
programming is further rebroadcast by some 1000 local Catholic 
radio stations.  Vatican Radio does not track its audience size, 
but estimates place the number of listeners well into the 
millions.  With a primary mission of communicating Papal events 
and activities to the world, it also reports on social, 
 
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political, economic, and cultural news of the day.  Vatican 
Radio also records every public word uttered by the Pope, and 
its 13,000 hours of papal sound archives stretch back to the 
first broadcast made by Pope Pius XI in 1931. 
 
 
 
¶6.  (U)  The Vatican Television Center is the Vatican's official 
television operation, and is located inside Vatican City.  It is 
not maintained as a broadcasting station, but rather as a 
television production center, capable of getting and providing 
images of the Pope and of the Vatican, and furnishing them to 
interested television channels, whether public or private, 
Catholic or secular.  These rebroadcast rights are provided at 
market rates for large media outlets, like RAI or CNN, but at 
nominal or no charge for local or Catholic broadcasters.  These 
fees allow the Vatican Television Center to make a small annual 
profit. 
 
 
 
¶7. (U) L'Osservatore Romano is the Vatican's official daily 
newspaper.  Published daily in Italian it is available in a 
number of other languages on a weekly basis (including English, 
Spanish, French, and the South Indian language Malayam). While 
its circulation numbers are low, the paper remains the most 
authoritative and comprehensive source for papal writings and 
activities.  It also offers regular news coverage of national 
and international stories.  With a new editor in place since 
2007, L'Osservatore Romano has embarked on a program to increase 
circulation, reduce costs, and overhaul its image (with the most 
obvious sign being the use of color pictures on the front page). 
 
 
 
 
¶8. (U) Agenzia Fides (faith), founded in 1927, is not only the 
official news agency of the Pontifical Mission Society for the 
Propagation of the Faith but also the on-line semi-official news 
agency of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. 
Agenzia Fides was created to disseminate news fostering Roman 
Catholic missionary cooperation, spiritual communion, and 
material support.  This international news agency has operated 
for 70 years, providing news, photos, and reports of 
contemporary Roman Catholic mission conditions throughout the 
world.  The print and e-mail versions are available in English, 
French, Italian, Spanish, German, and Chinese.  It has become a 
highly-respected source of news on the developing world. 
 
 
 
COVERING THE HOLY SEE...HOME AND ABROAD 
 
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¶9. (U) Avvenire and Famiglia Cristiana are the foremost 
Catholic-oriented publications in Italy.  A daily newspaper, 
Avvenire is published in Milan and jointly owned by the Italian 
Bishops' Conference and several private Catholic entrepreneurs. 
It has a national circulation of approximately 150,000. 
Famiglia Cristiana is a weekly magazine "of Catholic 
inspiration" that has a national circulation of more than a 
million.  Milan-based, the weekly is owned by the Societa San 
Paolo Gruppo Periodici which is Italy's leading Catholic 
publisher.  In addition, large publications like the weekly 
magazines Panorama and L'Espresso, as well as newspapers like 
Corriere delle Sera and La Repubblica, have veteran, respected 
journalists on the Vatican beat who produce a steady stream of 
stories 
 
 
 
¶10. (U) Catholic News Service and ZENIT are perfect 
illustrations of the global reach of the Catholic-oriented media 
covering the Holy See.  Catholic News Service was founded in 
1920 as a news service specializing in reporting on religion, 
and serves as the primary source of news appearing in more than 
170 Catholic news outlets in the US and 70 outlets in more than 
60 other countries.  An estimated eight million people worldwide 
either directly or indirectly receive their news from Catholic 
News Service.  Zenit has a similarly broad reach, serving as an 
on-line newswire service reporting Vatican and international 
Church news.  Approximately 450,000 private subscribers receive 
ZENIT's daily news service via email in one of seven languages 
(English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Arabic). 
 ZENIT further estimates that some 20,000 communication outlets 
worldwide publish ZENIT pieces, including radio stations and 
diocesan and parish bulletins. 
 
 
 
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¶11. (U) Television coverage of the Holy See is the newest area 
of media expansion, with increased demand solidifying 
established networks and bringing new ones into the mix.  EWTN 
and Rome Reports illustrate both ends of the spectrum.  EWTN is 
the pre-eminent Catholic network today.  Started in 1981, it has 
since grown exponentially, and presently claims a broadcast 
reach of 148 million homes in 140 countries.  It transmits 
programming 24 hours a day in both English and Spanish.  Rome 
Reports is one of several new companies that have arisen to 
serve the burgeoning demand for Vatican news, especially in the 
Spanish-speaking world.  It produces daily and weekly news 
segments, and also longer documentaries on topics such as the 
Church in China.  These pieces are then sold to television 
companies around the world, including EWTN. 
 
 
 
AND ON THE WEB 
 
-------------- 
 
 
 
¶12. (U) The internet is emerging as a powerful means for the 
Holy See to communicate with the world.  Although most Vatican 
entities have not fully embraced the new technology, some, such 
as Vatican Radio, have recognized the internet's potential in 
reaching global audiences.  Vatican Radio's website 
(www.vaticanradio.org) is in 38 languages.  In addition to 
mainstream media, a growing community of bloggers offers 
commentary and analysis on the Holy See.  The blog Whispers in 
the Loggia is a prominent example. 
 
 
 
 
 
COMMENT: OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ENGAGEMENT 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
 
 
¶13.  (SBU) As this survey indicates, the Holy See both 
communicates to, and is covered by, the world.  The Holy See's 
own communications efforts win praise from observers. 
"Proactive, not reactive," is how one long-standing journalist 
described media operations under Fr. Lombardi (an observation 
given credence by the Pope's handling of the sex abuse scandal 
during his trip to the United States).  Fr. Lombardi's 
simultaneous appointment as head of the Holy See Press Office, 
Vatican Radio, and VTC has also brought greater coordination to 
the Holy See's communication efforts.  Recent efforts to revive 
L'Osservatore Romano underscore the importance placed on 
communication by the Holy See. 
 
 
 
¶14. (SBU) The breadth of media coverage of the Holy See provides 
U.S. policymakers with rich opportunities to speak to the world 
on issues such as human rights, religious freedom, humanitarian 
assistance, and development.  Although this unique media 
environment has limitations - for instance, Vatican-affiliated 
media are often reluctant to run USG op-eds - it can serve as a 
valuable platform through which to reach global audiences. 
GLENDON