Vatican Newspaper 101- How to Understand Significance of Op-Ed's

I see the Vatican Newspaper as to Obama is in the news again. See Creative Minority Report's Oh No! Vatican Newspaper Praises Obama?

Here is a CNS report here at Vatican newspaper says Obama sought 'common ground' at Notre Dame

L'Osservatore Romano is a serous newspaper. I has different views in it discussed from politics to Economics to religion. Not everything that is printed on its pages should be construed to be the Voice of the Pope, the Only Vatican Viewpoint, or the mindset of the Catholic Church.

Father Z that knows how these things work in a past post explained how all this works

He has thoughts on this Op-ed at L’Osservatore Romano… what the…?!?

Father Z in a past post on this subject a few weeks ago at The puzzling editorial in L’Osservatore Romano

lot of people have written to me with links and asking me to comment on the signed editorial in L’Osservatore Romano on the first 100 days of the administration of President Obama.Quite a few people are worked up about this.I admit that it left me scratching my head.But

I have a couple observations.

First, and most importantly, in the world of L’Osservatore Romano a signed editorial like this has the least weight. You might be able to say that an editorial signed by the actual editor might have more… but it wouldn’t be nearly as weighty as an unsigned editorial.

Second, I know the editor of L’Osservatore Romano a little. He is trying to give the paper a new direction and role. I think he is trying to bring in a few more voices here and there and open it to being also a journal of discussion, to engage the world. To this end, he is bringing pieces from various writers, including non-Catholics. Fiorentino is a staffer of L’OR and it might have sounded like an official position of the paper, but it wasn’t.

I would not be in the least surprised it some of the Euro-progressivists in the Secretariat of State weren’t in favor of this editorial, but it wasn’t unsigned.

SO when looking at an Vatican Newspaper Op-Ed looks to see if he is signed or unsigned and if signed by who to establish it weight and importance

This of course is lost to the media as they probably view the Vatican Newspapers as some propaganda sheet put together by Pope Benedict.

I think this is recognized in Europe but in America not so much. A fact that the folks over there need to recognize