Vatican inaugurates YouTube channel

January 23, 2009

The Vatican has launched its own YouTube channel, to offer daily news items and messages from the Holy Father. Vatican officials said that the channel was designed to take advantage of a popular new method of communications and also to exert some control over the use of the Pope's image, which is already being used by other internet sites-- sometimes without permission and for purposes hostile to the interests of the Church. The new Vatican YouTube channel-- available in English, Spanish, German, and Italian-- will feature short daily features and links to other Vatican resources. The initiative was launched on the same day that the Vatican released the text of Pope Benedict's message for the 43rd World Day of Social Communications [see today's CWN feature for more detail on that papal document]; in that text the Pontiff concentrated on the potential power of new communications technology in advancing the Gospel message.

 

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Further information:

• The Vatican (YouTube)
• Vatican launches Pope YouTube channel (AP)
• New news channel on the Holy Father (VIS)