Italian journalist notes he was not first to publicize cardinals' letter to Pope

October 15, 2015

Sando Magister, the Italian journalist who became a focus of attention at the Synod of Bishops after publishing a letter from 13 cardinals to Pope Francis, has pointed out that the existence of that letter had already been reported.

Andrea Tornielli of La Stampa had reported on the cardinals' letter to the Pontiff on October 8, and provided an accurate summary of the letter's contents Magister observes. Tornielli's report briefly appeared on the Vatican Insider web site, but then was removed; a print version was published by La Stampa.

Magister published a text of the letter-- later revealed to contain some inaccuracies-- on October 12. 

By calling attention to Tornielli's prior report on the letter, Magister demonstrates that he was not the only journalist informed about the cardinals' initiative. He notes that while his report indicated sympathy for the cardinals' concerns, the Tornielli report, which was more negative, attracted much less public attention. 

 

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Further information:

• The Letter of the Thirteen Cardinals. A Key Backstory (L'Espresso)
• Leaked letter from cardinals is a 'disruption' of Synod, papal spokesman says (CWN, 10/13)