Pope to launch Vatican news portal on June 28
Access website: news.va
Vatican City, Jun 27, 2011 (CNA/EWTN News)
On June 28, Pope Benedict XVI will launch the Vatican's first multimedia news portal, which is also designed for mobile devices.
“We are trying to give everybody an opportunity to have Vatican news immediately in a modern and accessible way, using new technology,” said Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, in an interview with CNA on June 27.
He explained that the Pope will have the privilege of giving the “first click” to take the site online, a reflection of the way Pope Pius XI inaugurated the transmission of Vatican Radio 80 years ago.
One of the most notable new features of www.news.va will be its integration with social networks, and a design geared toward mobile devices such as the iPad. “This is a new approach for us,” Archbishop Celli noted.
The new information source will highlight the Pope's travels, acts and teachings. It will also contain statements released by various departments of the Vatican, news developments from local churches worldwide and information about other important global developments.
He explained that users of the news portal will have access to the main articles printed or transmitted by other Vatican media outlets, including the daily newspaper L'Osservatore Romano and Vatican Radio.
For its first few months, the portal will offer stories and information in Italian and English. Spanish translation will most likely become available in the fall, with French and Portuguese following later.