Vatican newspaper examines straits’ importance

March 28, 2026

L’Osservatore Romano devoted seven articles in its March 27 edition to the importance of straits.

The introductory front-page article referred to “the Strait of Hormuz, but not only [that strait]. From the nearby Bab el-Mandeb passage to the Asian Strait of Malacca, and extending to the Panama Canal and the icy waters of the Bering Strait, there are many transit routes that could become ‘bottlenecks’ for stability.”

The other articles:

• “Stretto di Hormuz: dove si incrociano geopolitica, economia e speranze di pace“ (Strait of Hormuz: Where Geopolitics, Economics, and Hopes for Peace Intersect) by Roberto Paglialonga
• “Crocevia dei traffici tra Asia, Africa ed Europa“ (A Crossroads for Trade between Asia, Africa, and Europe) by Valerio Palombaro
• “Il dilemma di Malacca sorvegliato speciale“ (The Malacca Dilemma: Under Close Scrutiny) by Guglielmo Gallone
• “Panamá: la porta principale tra Atlantico e Pacifico“ (Panama: The Main Gateway between Atlantic and Pacific) by Matteo Frascadore
• “Gibilterra: nello “Stretto della morte” nel 2025 sono scomparsi 484 migranti“ (Gibraltar: In the “Strait of Death,” 484 Migrants Vanished in 2025) by Igor Traboni
• “Nuove rotte per lo Stretto di Bering“ (New Routes for the Bering Strait) by Francesco Citterich

 

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Further information:

• (S)nodi cruciali (L'Osservatore Romano, 3/27/26)