Text of papal interview was inexact, Vatican journalist finds

October 02, 2013

A prominent Vatican journalist has cautioned that an interview with Pope Francis, published this week by the Italian daily La Repubblica, does not reproduce the Pope’s words exactly.

Andrea Tornielli of La Stampa, writing on his own blog, questions the accuracy of certain passages in the interview as it was published in La Repubblica, such as the line in which the Pontiff described himself as humble. Tornielli also explains that an incident described in the interview, in which the Pope says that he prayed in a small room in the apostolic palace after being elected as Pontiff, could not have occurred as it was described.

Thus Tornielli concludes that the interview was “not a word-for-word exact reconstruction” of the Pope’s conversation with his interviewer. In a briefing for reporters on October 2, Father Federico Lombardi, the director of the Vatican press office, confirmed that the Pope’s words had been “revised” by La Repubblica. The Vatican spokesman added, however, that Pope Francis had no difficulties with the text as it appeared in the newspaper. Father Lombardi told reporters that the interview should be regarded as a “conversational” exchange, and not a “magisterial document.”

 

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Further information:

• I dubbi sull’intervista a Scalfari (Sacri Palazzi)
• Fr Lombardi SJ briefs on Council of Cardinals (Vatican Radio)
• Pope voices hopes for change in another lengthy interview (CWN, 10/1)