Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi recently announced the
release of the book, “Traveling Companions, In-flight Interviews with
John Paul II.”
The book, which features a selection of in-flight interviews the late
Pope John Paul II gave to journalists, was released March 23 at the
offices of Vatican Radio.
Fr. Lombardi explained that Vatican Radio
preserved recordings of the interviews given by John Paul II during the
first years of his pontificate.
The organization then made them
available to journalist Angela Ambrogetti, author of the new book.
The book was published by Libreria Editrice Vaticana, the Vatican publishing house.
Fr. Lombardi told Europa Press that John Paul II developed the idea
of in-flight interviews because “he saw the media as a possible ally in
his ministry” to proclaim the Gospel, especially in countries where
“freedom of expression was lacking.”
He noted that the late Pontiff, who will be beatified on May 1, wanted to convey “his message of justice, peace and so many values important to the world.”
“He did so with great spontaneity and freedom,” the Vatican spokesman said.
John Paul II's skills as a communicator “were cultivated by his
training as a young actor.” Karol Wojtyla “had a gift, an original
charism and expressive zeal” that was nourished by “his pastoral
experience in which he applied his skills as a communicator at the
service of his ministry,” Fr. Lombardi continued.
He noted that the in-flight interviews were an effective way for the
late John Paul II and now Pope Benedict to highlight the main messages
of their papal journeys.
John Paul II’s former personal secretary, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz,
noted in the book's introduction that “John Paul II’s relationship with
the press was not easy.”
“It was a sincere and fruitful relationship”
because “they had to be professional.”
The Pope asked the journalists to
truthfully report “what they saw in both the big cities and the most
remote villages.”
The presentation of the book was attended by the organizer of papal
trips for John Paul II, Cardinal Roberto Tucci, the director of Libreria
Editrice Vaticana and the book’s editor, Giuseppe Costa, and Vatican
analysts Gian Franco Svidercoschi and Paloma Gomez Borrero.