Vatican to get its own street newspaper
“L'Osservatore di strada” will be published on the first Sunday of every month, handed out the homeless in St Peter's Square. The Dicastery for Communication, which is behind the monthly supplement, wants to give a voice to the poor, who will also be the paper’s main writers and publishers. The first issue is set to come out on 29 June, Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – The Vatican will have its own street newspaper. L'Osservatore di strada (Street Observer), a twelve-page monthly supplement in L'Osservatore Romano, made by the poor for the poor.
Self-described as a “Newspaper for social friendship and fraternity”, the paper will be sold in St Peter's Square and nearby streets by some of the residents of Palazzo Migliori, a facility for the homeless the Dicastery for Charity entrusted to the Community of Sant'Egidio.
In a statement, the Dicastery for Communication announced the project, explaining that the first issue will be handed out at the Angelus on 29 June, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. Thereafter, the paper will be published on the first Sunday of every month, both in print and online.
"With this project we intend to give voice to those who are not usually heard: the poor, the people hurt by life, those who have been shown the door and excluded. The paper will acknowledge and restore the right to speak of those who are treated as ‘waste’ in today’s society, highlighting the wealth of the experiences, knowledge and values of which they are the guardians.”
Those who hand out the paper will keep the free offerings readers will be asked to give, and the poor will be involved in the whole process of publication. The goal is to "give a venue to those who have a talent for writing or drawing or simply a story to tell or an opinion to express”.
The paper will also provide the means to those who lack them, “involving intellectuals and figures from the world of culture (writers, poets, journalists, photographers, cartoonists, directors, actors, musicians, etc.) who will make their art available to produce something that is the product of a direct relationship, face to face, rather than from cold mediation. Everyone will be equal with the same dignity. Everyone will have the same respect.”
Every month migrants will get a special forum to tell their story and express their hopes. However, in the central pages, Pope Francis will lead the reflection on that month’s main topic through the publication of his views and reports about his actions.
Two pages will be devoted to “songs from the margins”, stories, thoughts, poems, drawings by people helped by associations and Church groups or simply encountered in the streets.
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24/05/2021 14:53
11/06/2021 18:02
