How to Cover the Catholic Church

10 / 79

4 | How to Cover the Catholic Church
To obtain television footage, contact the Vatican Television Center, known
by its Italian acronym as CTV. The director general is Jesuit Father Federico
Lombardi, who also heads the press office. Phone 06-6988-5467 or 5233. E-
mail ain office) or rchive). For photographs
of the pope and Vatican events, go to e Web site of Vatican
newspaper’s photo service. Phone 06-6988-4797. E-mail
Every day around noon, the press office releases the Bollettino , or daily bul-
letin (plural: Bollettini). If you’re in the building, you’ll hear an announcement
of its arrival over the loudspeaker, at which point all the reporters form a scrum
near the entrance to grab a copy. Depending on the day and the expected con-
tent, the scrum may be calm or frenzied, but there are always plenty of bulletins
to go around. More than one Bollettino is usually released per day. If you miss a
day, there are back copies from the previous week or so on display.
The Bollettino is where you’ll find out whom the pope might have met that
day (Le Udienze ) and which bishops resigned or were appointed or transferred
(Rinunce e Nomine). On Wednesdays you’ll get the text of the pope’s general
audience (Udienza Generale), and on Sundays the text of the prayer after the
Angelus (Preghiera dopo l’Angelus). Papal speeches to visiting dignitaries, clergy
and various groups; official messages to the United Nations and other enti-
ties; and statements from the chief Vatican spokesperson, Jesuit Father Federico
Lombardi, can also be found here. The Bollettino is nearly always in Italian but
sometimes includes other languages. If you’re covering an event at the Vatican
for a short period of time, such as the elevation of your city’s bishop to cardinal,
the Bollettino may be provided in or translated into English.
Bollettini are also available online, under the press office section of the
Vatican’s Web site. You’ll note the Web site offers an archive of Bollettini, going
back to 1997. You can search by date or by category: episcopal nominations,
audiences, press releases, messages, and travels. With a press pass you can
get access to the Bollettini under embargo on the site as well; ask at the press
office about getting a password.
Be advised of the hours of operation: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through
Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays and holidays.
Holidays include obvious ones like January 1, and others you may not think
of, like November 1 (Solemnity of All Saints), December 8 (Solemnity of the
Immaculate Conception), and August 15 (Solemnity of the Assumption). For
some special events and under extraordinary circumstances (a papal transi-
tion, for example), the press office will keep longer hours. Open hours of the
press office are usually reduced during summer months and around Christmas
and Easter.