Vatican News
Members of the editorial staff of L’Osservatore di Strada, along with numerous friends of the magazine, gathered together on Saturday to celebrate the third anniversary of the journal’s founding on Jun 29 2022.
Those taking part in the celebration heard a message from Pope Leo XIV, who thanked them for their work of the past three years and encouraged them to continue onward with courage and confidence.
In his message, the Holy Father tells them, “Your work is important because it helps us to remember that the world must also be seen from the street, having the courage to change our perspective, breaking down the patterns and conventions that often prevent us from seeing truly and more deeply and from listening to the voice of those who have no voice”.
And he encouraged them to continue in their efforts, saying, “The hand of God in your stories is the most vivid testimony of how everything is redeemed and no story is without hope if we believe in God’s love.”
The Pope’s message was read aloud to those present by Paolo Ruffini, the Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication. The Dicastery’s Secretary, Monsignor Lucio Ruiz; L’Osservatore Romano editor-in-chief Andrea Monda; and Giuliano Crepaldi, president of the Society of St Vincent de Paul also spoke at the event, which took place in the headquarters of the Society’s Mediterranea Rete in Rome.
Below you can find an English translation of the full text of the Holy Father’s message:
Dear friends of L’Osservatore di Strada, who today are celebrating the third anniversary of the monthly magazine, which was first published on Jun 29 2022, congratulations! I would like to join in your celebration with a few words that can be summed up in just one: “Thank you!”
Thanks to all of you who have been carrying on this small but significant experience for three years. Thank you for your newspaper in which, as my beloved predecessor Pope Francis said at the Angelus on Jun 29, three years ago, “the least become protagonists”.
It is you who, with your talents, contribute to the creation of this unique newspaper, and it is you who distribute it free of charge every Sunday to the pilgrims in the Square, thus accompanying the Pope with your discreet presence before and after the recitation of the Angelus.
Your work is important because it helps us to remember that the world must also be seen from the street, having the courage to change our perspective, breaking down the patterns and conventions that often prevent us from seeing truly and more deeply and from listening to the voice of those who have no voice. Best wishes, then, and courage! Let us move forward together with confidence, continuing to bring moments of the city of God to the city of men. Thank you!
May the Lord be with you always, beloved brothers and sisters. And may we always recognise Him in you. The hand of God in your stories is the most vivid testimony of how everything is redeemed and no story is without hope if we believe in God’s love.
St Augustine reminds us: “Blessed are those who have compassion on others, for they will obtain compassion” (St Augustine, Discourse 53/A, The Eight Maxims of the Beatitudes of the Gospel). Your compassion and humility are a precious gift for all of us. Your hope, even in difficulties, is an example for the Church and for the world. Thank you. – Vatican News
