At 11.30 today, a press conference was held in the Holy See Press Office to present the Communication Plan of the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican.

The speakers were: Msgr. Orazio Pepe, secretary of the Fabric of Saint Peter, who read the intervention by His Eminence Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, O.F.M. Conv., and Fr. Enzo Fortunato, O.F.M. Conv., Director of Communication of the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican.

The following are the interventions:

Intervention of His Eminence Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, O.F.M. Conv.

Two weeks ago, together with the “digital twin” of Saint Peter’s Basilica, we presented the coordinated plan of services for an “outgoing Basilica”, made accessible to all via the Basilica’s new portal (www.basilicasanpietro.va), a fully-fledged digital ecosystem.

Today we have the joy of presenting Number 0 of the Basilica’s journal, Piazza San Pietro. A courageous choice, that Fr. Enzo’s creativity and energy have driven us to make, with the purpose of taking a further step on the path the Basilica has undertaken, to become increasingly the house of prayer and meeting place for all.

The title, desired by the Holy Father himself, clearly expresses what we are proposing through this communication activity: to welcome figuratively every man and woman in the embrace of Bernini’s colonnade and to offer to everyone current themes, which will be dealt with by prominent figures, regarding the Church, the world, and Italy.

We would like to communicate in the etymological sense of the word, that is, to “place in common”, in the one piazza of humanity, the values, experiences, and testimonies that belong to the history of yesterday and today, so that those who look to Saint Peter and his successor may find the light and love that encourage us on our path.

On the other hand, communication is not merely uttering words, writing or drawing, but rather the sharing of wealth, to the extent that genuine communication occurs only when it succeeds in touching people, when the expression is understood and becomes the patrimony of others, so as to be able to converse, get to know each other, build a culture and a community. We might say that to communicate fully is to transform oneself into what has been placed in common.

For this reason, a lot of space will be dedicated by the magazine to the meeting with readers: editorials, columns, letters and, above all, the Pope's monthly response to a letter.

It will be an encounter, a reciprocal listening that makes one grow in humanity, with the style that has always distinguished ecclesial communication: cor ad cor loquitur, as Saint Francis de Sales used to say.

Piazza San Pietro offers itself as a “travelling companion” in the journey of life and in the search for truth. If we are together, with the guidance of Christ and his first helmsman - Peter and his successors - the landing will certainly be easier.

To this end, on 2 December the Pope himself will look at the tomb of the Apostle for the first time through the eye of a camera; he will inaugurate the use of a webcam that will allow people to visually connect to the place that witnessed the burial of the Apostle and preserves his memory, and will allow anyone to share with their brothers and sisters scattered around the world a prayer intention, a message, a friendly word.

Intervention of Fr. Enzo Fortunato, O.F.M. Conv.

Inspiring and guiding principle of communication

Because of his masterpieces, which can be equated to a “summa theologica”, from the gaze of the Pietà bent towards man to the silhouette of the Dome soaring towards the heavens, Michelangelo can be defined as the first, masterful and unparalleled director of communication in St Peter's Basilica.

This dual horizon towards God and towards man sets us on our way and makes us become how Gabriel Marcel defined the “Homo Viator”. A journey that makes us adopt the words of Pope Francis: “Hitting the streets”: “The crisis of the publishing industry risks leading to a reportage created in newsrooms, in front of personal or company computers and on social networks, without ever ‘hitting the streets’, meeting people face to face to research stories or to verify certain situations first hand. … Any instrument proves useful and valuable only to the extent that it motivates us to go out and see things that otherwise we would not know about, to post on the internet news that would not be available elsewhere, to allow for encounters that otherwise would never happen”.

I have always been struck by this remark by Pope Francis in two of his messages for World Social Communications Day.

The invitation to “hit the streets” is a powerful call to traditional journalism, for a deeper immersion in reality, for direct contact with places, but above all with people. this direct experience is fundamental to offering a more authentic, more complete, deeper, truer and more empathetic account with readers.

This is our idea of communication, this is our strategy, the heart of our communication plan.

And our goal is to make the Basilica accessible to all, using modern tools, such as artificial intelligence, but always adequately guided and controlled. the language must be clear and engaging. a language that starts from the heart, from communication with the heart, as the Pope's most recent Encyclical also indicates.

The Church has never been afraid to reach out to new horizons and frontiers, with creativity and courage, in order to proclaim the Gospel.

THE ACTIVITIES OF THE PLAN

1) A NEW FONT AND A NEW SITE:

In 2025 we will present a new font, an original typographical character, conceived to celebrate the beauty of Saint Peter’s Basilica and the religious, historical, cultural and artistic heritage it represents.

Optimized to guarantee clear legibility on paper and digital supports, the font will also be used on the Basilica website, which will have renewed graphics and a contemporary and sustainable design, and will offer a streamlined navigation experience to enable access to constantly updated content, like the new paper journal.

The font and the site, both the work of the Studiogusto creative and technical team (www.studiogust.com) will be launched in 2025.

2) A MULTI-FUNCTIONAL ROOM inside the Fabric of Saint Peter will allow journalists and media operators to be welcomed for meetings and briefings.

3) THE JOURNAL “PIAZZA SAN PIETRO”: The communicative challenge of Pope Francis, who first appeared on world television and succeeded in giving every person the impression that he was addressing each of us, now becomes the editorial line of Piazza San Pietro. As a modern journal in the age of globalization, Piazza San Pietro intends to speak to the whole world, through themes and signatures of international personalities. But it is also intended to speak to each individual, as announced by Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, with a column in which the “Editor”, the Holy Father, will personally reply to readers' letters.

Communication guided by the Word of God, offering awareness and orientation, is important. In an age of challenges for newspapers, the printed magazine offers a quality space for witnessing to human and Christian values and the dignity of every person. The mission of the journal is to reach the homes of every city AND COUNTRY, in line with the idea of an outgoing AND SYNODAL Church, giving space to those who wish to speak.

The magazine will be available at the Official Area of the Basilica or by postal subscription.

ISSUE ZERO OF “PIAZZA SAN PIETRO”

The first issue of St Peter's Square that we are presenting this morning is actually an issue zero, the symbol of an editorial staff that wants to be as open as the Fabric of Saint Peter, which continues to safeguard and build the Basilica.

A journal that is a builder of dialogue, peace, welcome, inclusion, democracy, reconciliation, which needs the contribution of everyone, of the faithful and of all the people who wish to offer suggestions, criticism, proposals, of communication professionals as well as the poor of Saint Peter's Square.

We need everyone's comments to correct, to integrate, to open up to everyone. Starting with this issue zero, which is intended to be a “technical transmission test”.

4) WEBCAM: TOMB OF ST. PETER

Thirty million pilgrims will pass through the Holy Door and descend to the Vatican Crypt. An intimate and mass experience, which billions of people will be able to share remotely through a webcam positioned on the Tomb of Saint Peter, approaching the mystery of the fisherman who had himself crucified upside down to stand tall before his Lord, giving rise to a pilgrimage that has continued uninterrupted for two millennia. May virtuality strengthen presences so that the net can generate proximity and communion, and make Jesus present in one's own life.

5) PRESENCE ON SOCIAL NETWORKS: The Basilica will use social media to share its love for this sacred place and connect the faithful with the centre of Christianity. The language will be simple and accessible, to create meaningful relationships, never forgetting that the mission in digital spaces must be filled with humanity and the search for peace in justice.

THE THREE CRITERIA FOR ACTION

Pope Francis has given us the three criteria that will guide our work: the listening of prayer, the gaze of faith, the pilgrim's touch. May these senses, at once corporeal and spiritual, intelligently order the initiatives to be carried out.

(Audience to the Technicians and Partners of the Fabbrica di San Pietro, 11.11.2024) I tre criteri che faranno da argine e che guidano la nostra opera ce li ha donati papa Francesco: the listening of prayer, the gaze of faith, the pilgrim's touch. Let these senses, at once bodily and spiritual, intelligently order the initiatives to be taken

(Audience with Technicians and Partners of the Fabric of Saint Peter, 11.11.2024)