Papal spokesman looks back at 2010
December 28, 2010
Looking back across 2010, the director of the Vatican press office sees the sex-abuse scandal, persecution of Christians, and papal trips abroad as the year’s top stories.
Father Federico Lombardi makes the point that although violence against Christians was most pronounced in the Middle East, it was also a factor in India and the Philippines, while religious freedom was a major concern in China. He calls attention to Pope Benedict’s use of the term “Christianophobia” to describe a problem that afflicts secularized Western societies.
Regarding developments inside the Vatican, Father Lombardi points to the creation of a new dicastery, the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization. He then makes a curious statement: “The creation of a new Congregation (sic) was perhaps a surprise, because nobody thought that we needed new institutions as part of the Roman Curia.” Apparently someone thought the new office was needed: the Pope, for whom Father Lombardi serves as a spokesman.
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