A new book from a Vatican journalist, for Vatican journalists

Vatican City, Sep 18, 2019 / 23:00 pm

A book on papal communication aims to connect the history of the Vatican's communications office with the theology of the Second Vatican Council.

"I welcomed this publication with great pleasure," Alessandro Gisotti, deputy editorial director at Vatican Media, during a September launch event for "Anche i Papi comunicano," - "The popes also communicate."

 "I believe it is also a sign of gratitude to all the colleagues who accompanied me during the months in which I held the position of director of the Press Room. I was part of this story and now that it has been dedicated to Navarro Valls the Press Room is even more the home of journalists," Gisotti added, according to a report from Vatican Media.

The book is authored by Veronica Giacometti, an editor at Italian news agency ACI Stampa and a former intern at Radio Vaticano. ACI Stampa is CNA's Italian-language partner agency.

Gisotti said the book is important because it connects contemporary Catholic communicators to the Church's tradition.

"Tradition means transmitting knowledge, it is important that Vatican experts know how popes have communicated in recent decades," he said.

"Popes communicate first of all with their presence. A president, if he does not act, is thought not exist. But the pope exists and communicates as Peter's successor, he is the message itself, therefore political categories cannot be applied to his communication," Gisotti said.

Giacometti told Vatican Media that she wrote the book to be a resource to Vatican journalists.

This book can be a working tool. It contains basic information (for Vatican journalists.) For example, what is a bolletino, how is the press office structured," among other questions, she said.

Giacometti said she aimed to put the traditions of Vatican journalists on paper.

Alan Holdren, director of EWTN's Rome office, and long-time Vatican journalist, also spoke at the launch event.

"I think all of us feel this need to know where we have come from. I have been here for 10 years, my first days of journalism at the Vatican were right in the Vatican's press room. I spent a year and a half there, every day of the week, to report the facts about the pope. The press room for us is a meeting point, a welcome point, a point of information that is essential to carry out our profession," Holdren said.