Monday, February 28, 2011

At 150 years, the pope's newspaper raises eyebrows

The Vatican's newspaper is almost 150 years old but that hasn't stopped it from staying relevant. 

These days L'Osservatore Romano is even a bit hip and controversial.

A recent issue had an eye-catching headline: "Homer and Bart are Catholic."

It explored the treatment of faith issues in the long-running American TV cartoon series The Simpsons.

The paper's new voice is thanks to Giovanni Maria Vian, who took over as editor in 2007. 

The once-sleepy eight-page imprint has become a must-read for anyone curious about the papacy and its unique world view.

Some American conservative Catholics have criticized Vian's leadership of the paper, in part based on controversy last year over the pope's remarks on condoms.

Vian defends his role, and points to wider circulation and advertising as a result.