VATICAN RADIO: A BRIDGE BETWEEN THE POPE AND THE WORLD

VATICAN CITY, FEB 21, 2006 (VIS) - A press conference was held this morning in the Holy See Press Office to mark the 75th anniversary of Vatican Radio. The title of the conference was "Vatican Radio at 75. New ways to serve the Church and future prospects."

  Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J., director general of Vatican Radio recalled how the mission of the station, as laid down in its Statutes, is: "To announce the Christian message freely, faithfully and effectively, and to link the center of Catholicism with the countries of the world by: diffusing the voice and teachings of the Roman Pontiff; providing information on the activities of the Holy See; reflecting Catholic life around the world; and encouraging the evaluation of contemporary problems in the light of ecclesial Magisterium and with constant attention for the signs of the times."

  Fr. Lombardi, pointed out how Vatican Radio is characterized by its flexible and multicultural approach, transmitting programs in 45 languages. Radio in a general sense, he added, "is vital everywhere and in some parts of the world - such as, for example, Africa - it is the means most capable of deep and effective penetration."

  After explaining how Vatican Radio has passed from analogue to digital technology and is experimenting with "digital transmissions on medium- and short-wave" frequencies, Fr. Lombardi revealed that the station has also developed "an original system for publishing text and audio files on Internet, in many different languages and alphabets." Through its web site www.radiovaticana.org the station is able "to act as a news agency, especially for those countries in which no Catholic news agency exists, and to carry out a useful service for the lay world of communication, e.g., the Japanese page, which is the most visited for searches under the word 'Vatican'."

  Fr. Lombardi concluded his remarks by highlighting the fact that Vatican Radio offers training courses to young journalists and students of social communications, "an average of 50 a year," although "there were 140 during the Jubilee Year 2000."

  Vatican Radio currently employs 384 people - priests, religious and male and female lay people - from 59 countries. Its average daily transmission time is 64 hours, and its annual running expenses stand in the region of 25-30 million euro, of which 57 percent represent staff costs.

  Fr. Andrzej Koprowski S.J., director of programs at the station, recalled how one of the objectives of Vatican Radio is that of being "a bridge between the Holy Father - the Holy See - the Universal Church and the respective societies and the respective particular Churches."

  Fr. Koprowski mentioned the language sections of Vatican Radio in the media and ecclesial context of the world. Each of these sections, he said, "came into being at specific moments in the life of the Church and the world," explaining how after World War II and the Communist takeover in the countries of eastern Europe the station directed its efforts towards the countries and particular Churches that were suffering most. "For this reason," he added, "we have a wealth of programs and languages above all from European countries, especially eastern and southern Europe."

  In our own times and with a view to the future, Fr. Koprowski went on, Vatican Radio remains highly aware "of the development of the Church in Latin America, Africa and Asia." He made particular reference to "Arabic language and culture, which is no longer the exclusive preserve of the Middle East but also of various regions of Europe and the world, because the view of the 'Arab world' and the 'Muslim world' is not just a political matter, but also a cultural, social and ecclesial question of primary importance, as the last few weeks have shown."

  Another key area identified by Fr. Koprowski is Asia. "We know of the development of the Church in India, and we are aware of the role Indian Christianity has for the future of the Universal Church, just as we are aware of ... the vital need for the Church to enter into dialogue and to understand the cultures of other countries in the immense continent of Asia: China, Japan, Vietnam, etc."

  Fr. Koprowski concluded by referring to the cultural and religious situation in former-Communist European countries, which "currently favors new forms of collaboration through the local media, both public and private, Catholic and non-Catholic."
OP/VATICAN RADIO/LOMBARDI                        VIS 20060221 (740)