The Vatican has unveiled a new tool for evangelization in the form of
a van equipped with 17 high-definition cameras for live and outdoor
broadcasting.
The Holy See's Vatican Television Center received the state-of-the-art van from Sony on Nov. 16.
Fr. Federico Lombardi, head of the Vatican Press Office, said the new
mobile broadcasting unit was a much-needed upgrade.
He noted that it
has previously taken three smaller trucks to carry the same number of
cameras, without the benefit of high-definition technology.
He also noted the increasing use of high-definition video for
documentaries and television programs.
Thus, the Vatican spokesman
explained, a switch to high-definition was “a necessary step” to ensure
the Church's media presence.
“Otherwise,” he said, “the image of the Pope would gradually have disappeared from television screens during the coming years.”
Vatican Television currently broadcasts around 200 live programs
every year, including celebrations in St. Peter's Square, the Pope's
recitation of the Angelus and his accompanying talks, and some live
concerts.
The Knights of Columbus covered nearly a quarter of the $6 million cost for the new broadcasting van.
Carl
Anderson, the fraternal order's Supreme Knight, said he was grateful
for the opportunity to help the Vatican broadcast the Gospel message.
Citing the example of Jesus' own public speeches and the journeys of
the apostles, he said there was “an unbroken Catholic tradition of
bringing Christ to the greatest number of people possible, in the
clearest manner available.”
High-definition television, Anderson said, is becoming a important
forum for ideas and culture. He observed that while technology and
social conditions change, and lead the Church to propose its message in
new ways, the message itself is unchanging.
“It is our hope that this new technology in the service of
evangelization will serve as a conduit,” he announced, “bringing to
every corner of the earth the word of God ... in the most
technologically clear and advanced manner that has ever been possible,
and transforming the lives of countless people.”
Archbishop Claudio M. Celli, president of the Pontifical Council for
Social Communications, reported that his office had not yet chosen a
name for the new high-definition broadcasting service.
But he was effusive about the technology's potential, calling the
update “the latest act … to create frank, open dialogue” on a
“technologically sophisticated plane.”
Archbishop Celli also mentioned a
possible future project, geared toward consolidating multiple Vatican
news sources into one.
Fr. Lombardi said that after a series of “final modifications,” the van “should be up and running in time for Christmas.”
SIC: CNA/INT'L