A Great Article on the Pope's Newspaper-"L'Osservatore Romano"

I have posted before on the subject of Vatican communications. I think a lot of converts are shocked how the Vatican is not meeting its potential in this area. Case in point is the Vatican Newspaper. Coming from a Evangelical background , I have often wondered why this resource, among others, was not properly exploited. Especially in this day of improved technology that would make distribution so much easier and efficient. Part of the reason is money. Despite the myth that many have the Vatican is far from rich. As this piece states:

"A lack of resources, I thought; and so it was, because unlike what people (not excluding the Romans) generally believe, ever since the Napoleonic upheaval the Vatican (such an imposing word) has been rather limited in its means. We could also add that since 1870 until today, or at least until the Conciliation [of 1929], it has been poor. Those who live by alms, even if these are alms for Saint Peter, cannot afford luxuries. In this sense the Vatican, with the dignity of a decayed nobility, has lived on meager resources lately, at times with a regal, somewhat threadbare cloak thrown over its honorable poverty."

I really like that last line. However as he points out in the very next paragraph this should not be such a grand limitation in many ways.

Anyway, this is a pretty good article that really goes into the history and ethos of this very important and intriguing paper.. Pope Benedict has put in a new editor at L'Osservatore Romano that has raised some eyebrows. While Pope John Paul the II is credited as bringing 21st Century Communications to the Vatican, I think Pope Benedict will truly be one that brings it up to date. There are signs with Vatican radio that is happening.

Hopefully soon via the Internet and satellite distribution to printing houses around the World the Pope's newspapers can truly become more Catholic in its outreach. At least I hope so.

Let me point out that Chiesa has another article that was posted today that is of interest. It is about that whole Dominican controversy in Holland that was the buzz a couple of weeks back. That is a good read too. Here is the link to In Holland, They're Inventing Their Own Mass – Copyrighted by the Dominicans.