The Vatican is not publishing the full text of the Pope’s daily homilies
because it wants to avoid giving them a level of authority that is not
intended.
“We must insist on the fact that, in all of the Pope’s activities, the
difference between different situations and celebrations, as well as the
different levels of authority of his words, must be understood and
respected,” Vatican press office director Father Federico Lombardi said
May 30.
He explained that while the full text of Pope Francis’ public events is
made available, the daily homilies are only summarized because of “the
character of the situation, and the spontaneity and familiarity of the
Pope’s remarks.”
Pope Francis, he added, wants to retain the familiar atmosphere that
characterizes the daily Mass, which is typically attended by a small
number of the faithful. “For that reason,” Fr. Lombardi said, the Pope
has specifically requested that the live video and audio not be
broadcast.
Another contributing factor to the decision is the fact that the pontiff
is not a native Italian speaker, the press director said.
The demand from the public for the full version of the Pope’s daily
homilies in the chapel of Saint Martha’s House has been high.
So, in order to respect both the circumstances and the requests from the
public, the Vatican decided to have its news outlets attend and
summarize the essentials of the homily.
After “careful consideration,” Fr. Lombardi said in his May 30
statement, “it seems the best way to make the richness of the Pope’s
homilies accessible to a wide audience, without altering the nature of
his remarks, is to publish a detailed summary, rich in direct quotations
that reflect the genuine flavor of the Pope’s expressions.”
“L’Osservatore Romano undertakes this responsibility every day. Vatican
Radio, on account of the nature of the medium, offers a shorter
synthesis, including some of the original sound, while CTV offers a
video clip corresponding to one of the audio inserts published by
Vatican Radio,” he explained.