Vatican Radio is the broadcasting station of the Holy See, legally recognised by the international bodies. It is a means of communication and evangelisation created to serve the Pope's ministry. Vatican Radio has a legal status and is located in Vatican City. Its main task is to proclaim the Christian message, freely, faithfully and efficiently, and keep in contact the centre of Catholicism with the rest of the world. It was inaugurated by Pius XI (Radio message Qui arcano Dei) on February 12th 1931, and is an active member and founder of the EBU (European Broadcasting Union, in Geneva) of the URTI (International Radio and Television University, in Paris) and member of the URTNA (Union of African National Radio and Television in Dakar). Vatican Radio represents the Holy See at the ITU (International Telecommunication Union, in Geneva) and at the CEPT (European Conferences of Post and Telecommunication Administrations). Vatican Radio however is not an official body of the Holy See and therefore takes full responsibility for the contents of its programmes.
PROGRAMMES
Vatican Radio broadcasts Church and religious news, offering the kind of information which cannot be found in other media. Firstly it informs on events and activities of the Pope and the Holy See. Vatican Radio also covers political, social and economic affairs not only in the religious context, but also to help Christians to see in them the signs of the times and to encourage them to behave and take decisions in the light of their own faith. Through its liturgy programmes, Vatican Radio offers to its listeners, especially to those who are isolated or restricted in their religious freedom, a chance to follow spiritual events and worship. For a vaster audience, Vatican Radio broadcasts the celebrations presided over by the Holy Father in order to deepen the communion of the Church with the Successor of Peter. The programmes of Vatican Radio are for the most part dedicated to the various permanent aspects of the Christian Catechesis: the Word of the Lord, the Church and Patristic tradition, theology, Christian ethics, the Social Doctrine of the Church, Church history and Christian associations. A special attention is given to ecumenism and to inter-religious dialogue, especially in those programmes which are addressed to parts of the world where Christians are a small minority. A fair consideration is also given to human culture and arts, especially music, more suitable to the technical features of this means of communication, in accordance with a long Church tradition.