Dicastery for Communication – Vatican News

By Alessandro Di Bussolo

The Dicastery for Communication is called “to build bridges, when so many raise walls—the walls of ideologies; to foster communion, when so many stir division; to become involved in the dramas of our time, when so many prefer indifference,” according to Pope Francis, in his last audience with the Dicastery, on 31 October 2025.

And Pope Leo XIV, in his first audience with the Vatican communications team following his election, invite them “to carry forward a communication that does not seek consensus at all costs, does not cloak itself in aggressive words, does not embrace the model of competition, and never separates the search for truth from the love with which we must humbly seek it.”

Later, during his visit to Vatican Radio’s transmitting centre at Santa Maria di Galeria, Pope Leo recalled his missionary work in Latin America and Africa, describing Vatican Radio’s shortwave broadcasts – which reach places other stations find it difficult to reach – as “invaluable”, and reaffirming the missionary value of communication.

These are the foundations of the current work of the Dicastery, with its Prefect, Paolo Ruffini, and Secretary Monsignor Lucio Ruiz.

Historical Notes

Originally established as the Secretariat for Communication by Pope Francis via the Motu proprio L’attuale contesto comunicativo (“The current communication context”) of 27 June 2015, the Dicastery was entrusted with reorganizing the entire communication system of the Holy See.

It gradually incorporated all previously separate communication bodies: the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, the Holy See Press Office, the Vatican Press, the Photographic Service, L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican Publishing House, Vatican Radio, the Vatican Television Center, and the Vatican Internet Service. The challenge was uniting nine entities—characterized by centuries-old traditions—into a unified editorial and administrative system, under a single Dicastery within the Roman Curia.

The oldest, the Vatican Press, was established by Pope Sixtus V on 27 April 1587, through the apostolic brief Eam semper, under the name “Stamperia vaticana” (“Vatican printing house”).

L’Osservatore Romano, the Italian daily of the Holy See, was first published on July 1, 1861. Today, it publishes various monthly editions in multiple major contemporary languages.

The Vatican Publishing House (LEV), the official publishing arm of the Holy See, was founded in 1926. On 31 May 2005, Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano granted it exclusive copyright for the texts of the Pope.

Vatican Radio was inaugurated by Pius XI on 12 February 1931, as the broadcasting station of Vatican City State. The reform brought a multimedia transformation to journalistic production, culminating in real-time information on the web through the Vatican News portal, active since December 2017, and a presence across major social media platforms.

The Holy See Press Office originated in 1939, disseminating official news about the Pope and the various activities of the Apostolic See. Initially part of L’Osservatore Romano, it became autonomous during the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), establishing itself as a “special press office”.

On January 30, 1948, Pius XII established the Pontifical Commission for the Study and Ecclesiastical Evaluation of Films on Religious or Moral Subjects. In 1959, with the Motu Proprio Boni Pastoris, John XXIII transformed it into a permanent office of the Holy See, united with the Secretariat of State. Then, on 2 April 1964, with the Motu Proprio In fructibus multis, Paul VI restructured it once again as the Pontifical Commission for Social Communications, entrusting it with the responsibility of monitoring and evaluating the fields of cinema, radio, television, and both periodical and daily press, in light of the papal Magisterium. The Pontifical Commission for Social Communications—later elevated to the Pontifical Council for Social Communications—was tasked with preparing the pastoral instruction Communio et progressio (published in 1971 and updated with the supplement Aetatis novae in 1992) as well as promoting World Communications Day, instituted in 1967.

The Vatican Television Centre (CTV) was founded in 1983 by Pope John Paul II to document the Pope’s pastoral ministry and the activities of the Apostolic See through television images. Every recording, programme, or documentary produced since 1984 is stored in an archive with climate-controlled rooms. With the creation of the Dicastery for Communication, CTV’s productions are now branded Vatican Media.

The same applies to the Photographic Service of L’Osservatore Romano, established in 2006 and made up of photographers, archivists, and technicians who document the activities of the Pope and the authorities of the Holy See through photography. The service’s digital archive is available to publishers and newspapers as well as to private individuals.

Finally, on 25 December 1995, the Vatican Internet Service was launched with the inclusion and online publication of Pope John Paul II’s Christmas message on the then newly created website www.vatican.va. Today, the technical and documentary-graphic staff are part of the Dicastery for Communication.

Competence

The Dicastery for Communication, as stated in the Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium, is responsible for the entire communication system of the Apostolic See and unifies all the entities of the Holy See in the field of communication, so that the entire system responds coherently to the needs of the Church’s evangelising mission, in a context characterised by the presence and development of digital media, convergence, and interactivity.

To do this, it uses the production models, technological innovations, and forms of communication currently available and those that may develop in the future. In addition to its operational functions, it also explores and develops the theological and pastoral aspects of the Church’s communication activities. In this sense, it works, including at the educational level, to ensure that communication is not reduced to purely technological and instrumental concepts.

It raises awareness among the faithful of their duty to ensure that the many means of communication are available for the pastoral mission of the Church, in the service of the advancement of civilisation and morals. It does so especially on the occasion of the celebration of World Communications Day.

For its activities, the Dicastery makes use of the connectivity and network infrastructure of Vatican City State, in accordance with the specific legislation and international commitments undertaken by the Holy See. It acts in collaboration with the Secretariat of State and supports the other institutions of the Roman Curia and the offices and institutions connected with the Holy See and the Governorate of Vatican City State in their communication activities.

Visit the website of the Dicastery for Communication