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{{Short description|Daily newspaper of Vatican City}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2018}} {{Infobox newspaper|name=L'Osservatore Romano|motto={{lang|la|Unicuique suum – non praevalebunt}}|logo=Losservatore romano 2 (cropped).png|image=L'Osservatore Romano, 8 May 2025.jpg|caption=''L'Osservatore Romano'' print edition on 8 May 2025|type=Daily in Italian<br />Weekly in other languages|format=Broadsheet|foundation={{Start date and age|1861|07|01|df=y}}|owners=[[Holy See|The Holy See]]|headquarters=Via del Pellegrino - 00120<br />[[Vatican City]]|editor={{ill|Andrea Monda|it}}|ISSN=0391-688X|website=[https://www.osservatoreromano.va/en.html osservatoreromano.va]}}

'''''L'Osservatore Romano'''''{{efn|{{IPA|it|losservaˈtoːre roˈmaːno|lang}}; {{lit|The Roman Observer}}}} is the daily newspaper of [[Vatican City]] which reports on the activities of the [[Holy See]] and events taking place in the Catholic Church and the world.<ref>{{cite web|last=Vatican City|title=Osservatore Romano|url=http://www.vaticanstate.va/content/vaticanstate/en/altre-istituzioni/osservatore-romano.html|publisher=Vatican City State|access-date=27 February 2014}}</ref><ref name="Guardian">[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jul/20/vatican-newspaper-pope John Hooper, "Behind the scenes at the pope's newspaper"] in ''[[The Guardian]]'', 20 July 2009</ref> It is owned by the Holy See but is not an official publication, a role reserved for the ''[[Acta Apostolicae Sedis]]'', which acts as a [[government gazette]].<ref name="cwndef">{{cite web|title=L'Osservatore Romano|work=Catholic World News|publisher=Trinity Publications|url=http://www.cwnews.com/news/biosgloss/definition.cfm?glossID=62|access-date=19 October 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080315171748/http://www.cwnews.com/news/biosgloss/definition.cfm?glossID=62|archive-date=15 March 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t9QxJMdp6FMC&pg=PA72|first=Francis A.|last=Burkle-Young|title=Papal Elections in the Age of Transition, 1878-1922|publisher=Lexington Books|date=2000|isbn=978-0-73910114-8|page=72}}</ref><ref name="Guardian" /> The views expressed in the ''Osservatore'' are those of individual authors unless they appear under the specific titles "Nostre Informazioni" or "Santa Sede".<ref name="Bunson">Matthew Bunson, ''The Pope Encyclopedia'', Crown Publishing, 1995, p. 229.</ref><ref name="PLev">Philippe Levillain, ''The Papacy: An Encyclopedia'', Routledge Publishers, 2002, p. 1082</ref>

Available in nine languages, the paper prints two [[Latin language|Latin]] mottos under the [[Nameplate (publishing)|masthead]] of each edition: {{lang|la|Unicuique suum}} ({{gloss|To each his own}}) and {{lang|la|Non praevalebunt}} ({{gloss|[The gates of Hell] shall not prevail}}).{{Efn|From {{Bibleverse||Matthew|16:18}}: ''Et ego dico tibi quia tu es Petrus et super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam et portae inferi '''non praevalebunt''' adversum eam'' ([[Vulgate|Latin Vulgate]])}} The current editor-in-chief is {{ill|Andrea Monda|it}}.

== Editions ==
''L'Osservatore Romano'' is published in eight different languages (listed by date of first publication):<ref name="vathist">{{cite news|title=The origins of "L'Osservatore Romano"|newspaper=L'Osservatore Romano|url=https://www.vatican.va/news_services/or/history/hi_eng.html|access-date=8 February 2008}}</ref>

* Daily and weekly in [[Italian language|Italian]] (1861/1950)
* Weekly in [[French language|French]] (1949)
* Weekly in [[English language|English]] (1968)
* Weekly in [[Spanish language|Spanish]] (1969)
* Weekly in [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] (1970)
* Weekly in [[German language|German]] (1971)
* Monthly in [[Polish language|Polish]] (1980)
* Weekly in [[Malayalam language|Malayalam]] (2007)<ref>{{cite news|title=L'Osservatore Romano to be published in India|publisher=Catholic News Agency|date=2 April 2007|url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/9014/losservatore-romano-to-be-published-in-india|access-date=8 February 2008}}</ref>

The daily Italian edition of ''L'Osservatore Romano'' is published in the afternoon, but with a [[cover date]] of the following day, a convention that sometimes results in confusion.<ref name="cwndef" /> The weekly English edition is distributed in more than 129 countries, including [[List of countries where English is an official language|English-speaking countries]] and locales where English is used as the general means of communication.<ref name="vathist" />

=== ''L'Osservatore della Domenica'' ===
''L'Osservatore della Domenica'' is a weekly publication in [[Vatican City]]. It is the Sunday supplement to the ''L'Osservatore Romano''. Founded in 1934, an illustrated weekly was published with the title ''L'Osservatore romano della Domenica'' (since 1951 ''L'Osservatore della Domenica''). In 1979 it was reduced to a Sunday supplement.<ref>[https://www-treccani-it.translate.goog/enciclopedia/l-osservatore-romano_%28Dizionario-di-Storia%29/?_x_tr_sl=it&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc "L'Osservatore Romano", Treccani]</ref>

=== ''L'Osservatore di Strada'' ===
Since 29 June 2022, another edition of ''L'Osservatore Romano'' has been published: ''L'Osservatore di Strada''. It is published on the first Sunday of every month.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2022-06-24|title=Nasce L'Osservatore di strada, il mensile che dà voce agli scartati|url=https://www.vaticannews.va/it/vaticano/news/2022-06/29-giugno-osservatore-strada-poveri-dicastero-communicazione.html|access-date=2023-02-07|website=Vatican News|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=24 June 2022|title=L'Osservatore di Strada – Comunicato|url=https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/info/2022/06/24/comunicato-stampa-losservatore-di-strada--nuovo-mensile-de-losse.html|access-date=2023-02-07|website=press.vatican.va}}</ref> On 29 June 2022, the first printed edition was distributed to those present at [[St. Peter's Square]]. On the same day, at the end of the Pope's [[Church service|service]], the Pope made a remark at the end of his [[Marian devotions|Marian prayer]] praising the newspaper.<ref>{{Cite web|last=di Luca|first=Bernardo|date=2022-06-29|title=Distribuyen primer ejemplar de nuevo periódico del Vaticano: L'Osservatore di Strada|url=https://es.zenit.org/2022/06/29/distribuyen-primer-ejemplar-de-nuevo-periodico-del-vaticano-losservatore-di-strada/|access-date=2023-02-07|website=[[Zenit News Agency]]|language=es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Capelli|first=Benedetta|date=2022-06-29|title=Il Papa: l'Osservatore di strada, gli ultimi i veri protagonisti|url=https://www.vaticannews.va/it/papa/news/2022-06/papa-francesco-angelus-osservatore-di-strada-giornale-poveri.html|access-date=2023-02-07|website=Vatican News|language=it}}</ref>

== History ==
[[File:Leo_XIII.jpg|thumb|249x249px|Under Pope Leo XIII, the Holy See acquired ownership of ''L'Osservatore'' in 1885.]]

=== 19th century ===
[[File:Giornale-di-Roma-27-November-1852.jpg|thumb|200x200px|''Giornale di Roma'' (27 November 1852)]]
[[File:Losservatore-Romano-15-May-1891.jpg|thumb|200x200px|''L'Osservatore Romano'': front page of 15 May 1891, publishing the encyclical ''[[Rerum Novarum]]'' of [[Pope Leo XIII]]]]
The first issue of ''L'Osservatore Romano'' was published in [[Rome]] on 1 July 1861, a few months after the [[Italian unification|Kingdom of Italy]] was proclaimed on 17 March 1861.<ref name="vathist" /> The original intent of the newspaper was unabashedly polemical and propagandistic in defence of the [[Papal States]], adopting the name of a private pamphlet financed by a [[Legitimists|French Catholic legitimist]] group.<ref name="vathist" /> The 18 September 1860 defeat of papal troops at [[Castelfidardo]] substantially reduced the temporal power of the Pope, prompting Catholic intellectuals to present themselves in Rome for the service of [[Pope Pius IX]].<ref name="vathist" /> This agenda supported the notion of a daily publication to champion the opinions of the Holy See.<ref name="vathist" />

By July 1860, the deputy Minister of the Interior, [[Marcantonio Pacelli]] (grandfather of the future Pope [[Pope Pius XII|Pius XII]]), had plans to supplement the official bulletin of the Catholic Church ''Giornale di Roma'' with a semi-official "rhetorical" publication. In early 1861, controversialist Nicola Zanchini and journalist Giuseppe Bastia were granted editorial direction of Pacelli's newspaper. Official permission to publish was sought on 22 June 1861, and four days later, on 26 June, Pius IX gave his approval for the regulation of ''L'Osservatore''.<ref name="vathist" />

The first edition was entitled "''L'Osservatore Romano'' – a political and moral paper" and cost five [[Papal States scudo|baiocchi]]. The "political and moral paper" epithet was dropped before 1862, adding instead the two Latin mottoes that still appear under the masthead today.<ref name="vathist" />

After the [[Porta Pia|breach of Porta Pia]] by Italian troops in September 1870, ''L'Osservatore Romano'' solidified its opposition to the Kingdom of Italy, affirming obedience to the Pope and adherence to his directives, stating it would remain faithful "to that unchangeable principle of religion and morals which recognises as its sole depository and claimant the [[Vicar of Christ|Vicar of Jesus Christ]] on earth".<ref name="vathist" />

=== 20th century ===
The Osservatore continued to be published as a newspaper in Vatican City, but in 1904, ''[[Acta Sanctae Sedis]]'', which had existed since 1865, was declared the formal organ of the Holy See in that all documents printed in it were considered "authentic and official".<ref>{{CathEncy|wstitle=Acta Sanctæ Sedis}}</ref> ''Acta Sanctae Sedis'' ceased publication four years later and on 29 September 1908 ''[[Acta Apostolicae Sedis]]'' became the official publication of the Holy See.<ref>Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church {{ISBN|978-0-19-280290-3}}, article Acta Apostolicae Sedis</ref>

The English weekly edition was first published on 4 April 1968.<ref name="vathist" /> On 7 January 1998, that edition became the first to be printed outside of Rome, when for North American subscribers, it began to be printed in [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore|Baltimore]].<ref name="baltsun98">{{cite news|title=Newspaper for Vatican published in Baltimore|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1998/01/13/newspaper-for-vatican-published-in-baltimore-popes-speeches-writings-distributed-to-us-readers-in-english-language-edition/|date=13 January 1998|first=Jamie|last=Stiehm|newspaper=[[The Baltimore Sun]]|access-date=5 November 2011|quote=For the first time, the Vatican newspaper's presses are rolling outside of Rome—and beginning operations in Baltimore. ... The newspaper's Jan. 7 issue, the first printed here, was sent to 2,500 subscribers in the United States by the Cathedral Foundation, the center of Catholic church works in Baltimore. ... Now, nearly two centuries later, Internet technology is being used to deliver the pope's official publication faster to American readers. Making all the logistical arrangements to publish the Vatican newspaper—also technically a government document—in Baltimore was a yearlong project...The weekly, in the format of a 12‑page tabloid, is scheduled to be printed and mailed every Wednesday, reaching North American readers more rapidly than it previously did by air or ship from Rome.|archive-date=18 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140918212526/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1998-01-13/news/1998013106_1_vatican-newspaper-losservatore-romano-rome|url-status=live}}</ref> The edition was printed by the Cathedral Foundation, publishers of ''[[The Catholic Review]]''.<ref name="baltsun98" />

=== 21st century ===
As of 1 July 2011, the English-language edition of the ''L'Osservatore Romano'' for North American subscribers is once again published in Rome.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/news_services/or/or_eng/static/abboneng00.html|title=Notice to our subscribers in the U.S. and in Canada|work=L'Osservatore Romano|access-date=5 November 2011}}</ref>

In the 21st century, the paper has taken a more objective and subdued stance than at the time of its foundation, priding itself in "presenting the genuine face of the church and the ideals of freedom", following the statement by Cardinal [[Tarcisio Bertone]] in an October 2006 speech inaugurating a new exhibit dedicated to the founding and history of the newspaper.<ref name="cnsnobs">{{cite news|last=Glatz|first=Carol|title=L'Osservatore Romano: 145 years as 'genuine face of the church'|work=Vatican Letter|publisher=Catholic News Service|date=27 October 2006|url=http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0606136.htm|archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20091005062047/http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0606136.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 October 2009|access-date=8 February 2008}}</ref> He further described the publication as "an instrument for spreading the teachings of the successor of Peter and for information about church events".<ref name="cnsnobs" />

On 27 June 2015, [[Pope Francis]], in an [[Ecclesiastical letter#Letters of the popes in modern times|apostolic letter]], established the [[Secretariat for Communications]], a new part of the [[Roman Curia]], and included ''L'Osservatore Romano'' under its management.<ref>{{cite web|author=Pope Francis|date=27 June 2015|title=Apostolic Letter Issued Motu Proprio by the Supreme Pontiff Francis for the Establishment of the Secretariat for Communication|url=http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_letters/documents/papa-francesco_lettera-ap_20150627_segreteria-comunicazione.html|publisher=Libreria Editrice Vaticana|access-date=27 December 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=McElwee|first=Joshua|date=27 June 2015|title=Francis creates Secretariat to elevate, consolidate Vatican communications|newspaper=La Stampa|agency=National Catholic Reporter|url=http://www.lastampa.it/2015/06/27/vaticaninsider/eng/the-vatican/francis-creates-secretariat-to-elevate-consolidate-vatican-communications-5eNu2nNNFQmD3WLAvyLJcJ/pagina.html|url-status=live|access-date=29 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516192106/http://www.lastampa.it/2015/06/27/vaticaninsider/eng/the-vatican/francis-creates-secretariat-to-elevate-consolidate-vatican-communications-5eNu2nNNFQmD3WLAvyLJcJ/pagina.html|archive-date=16 May 2016|series=Vatican Insider}}</ref>

== Relation with the Magisterium ==
It is a common error to assume that the contents of the ''L'Osservatore Romano'' represent the views of the [[Magisterium]], or the official position of the [[Holy See]]. In general, this is not the case, and the only parts of the ''Osservatore'' which represent the views of the Holy See are those that appear under the titles "Nostre Informazioni" or "Santa Sede".<ref name="Bunson" /><ref name="PLev" /> At times the Magisterium disputes the contents of the ''Osservatore'', e.g. a 2008 article expressed the desire that the debate on [[brain death]] be reopened because of new developments in the medical world. An official spokesman said that the article presented a personal opinion of the author and "did not reflect a change in the Catholic Church's position".<ref>{{cite web|last=Wooden|first=Cindy|url=http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0804460.htm|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20080909204259/http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0804460.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 September 2008|title=Vatican newspaper says new questions raised about brain death|publisher=[[Catholic News Service]]|date=30 September 2008|access-date=24 February 2010}}</ref>

== Leadership ==

; Editors-in-chief<ref name="vathist" />

* Nicola Zanchini and Giuseppe Bastia (1861–1866)
* Augusto Baviera (1866–1884)
* Cesare Crispolti (1884–1890)
* Giovan Battista Casoni (1890–1900)
* Giuseppe Angelini (1900–1919)
* Giuseppe Dalla Torre di Sanguinetto (1920–1960)
* [[Raimondo Manzini (1901–1988)|Raimondo Manzini]] (1960–1978)
* Valerio Volpini (1978–1984)
* [[Mario Agnes]] (1984–2007)
* [[Giovanni Maria Vian]] (2007–2018)<ref name="ncr20181218">{{cite news|work=National Catholic Reporter|url=https://www.ncronline.org/news/media/pope-names-italian-journalists-key-posts-vatican-communications|access-date=December 27, 2018|date=December 18, 2018|title=Pope names Italian journalists to key posts in Vatican communications|first=Carol|last=Glatz|agency=Catholic News Service|archive-date=20 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720171117/https://www.ncronline.org/news/media/pope-names-italian-journalists-key-posts-vatican-communications|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{ill|Andrea Monda|it}} (2018–present)<ref name="ncr20181218" />

== See also ==

* [[Index of Vatican City-related articles]]

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==

* {{cite book|last1=Merrill|first1=John C.|first2=Harold A.|last2=Fisher|title=The world's great dailies: profiles of fifty newspapers|date=1980|pages=[https://archive.org/details/worldsgreatdaili0000merr/page/230 230–37]|isbn=9780803880955|publisher=Hastings House|series=Communication arts books|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/worldsgreatdaili0000merr/page/230}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/news_services/or/history/hi_eng.html|title=The origins of ''L'Osservatore Romano''|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 January 2000|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000118191218/https://www.vatican.va/news_services/or/history/hi_eng.html}}

== External links ==

* {{official website|https://www.osservatoreromano.va/en.html}}
* [https://www.osservatoreromano.va/it/osservatore-della-domenica.html ''L'Osservatore della Domenica'' section]
* [https://www.osservatoreromano.va/it/osservatore-di-strada.html ''L'Osservatore di Strada'' section]
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