L'Osservatore Romano is the daily newspaper of Vatican City which reports on the activities of the Holy See and events taking place in the Catholic Church and the world. The views expressed in the Osservatore are those of individual authors unless they appear under the specific titles "Nostre Informazioni" or "Santa Sede".

The daily Italian edition of L'Osservatore Romano is published in the afternoon, but with a cover date of the following day, a convention that sometimes results in confusion.

L'Osservatore di Strada

Since 29 June 2022, another edition of L'Osservatore Romano has been published: L'Osservatore di Strada. It is published on the first Sunday of every month. On 29 June 2022, the first printed edition was distributed to those present at St. Peter's Square. On the same day, at the end of the Pope's service, the Pope made a remark at the end of his Marian prayer praising the newspaper.

History

thumb|200px|Under Pope Leo XIII, the Holy See acquired ownership of L'Osservatore in 1885.

19th century

thumb|200px|Giornale di Roma (27 November 1852)

thumb|200px|L'Osservatore Romano: front page of 15 May 1891, publishing the encyclical [[Rerum Novarum of Pope Leo XIII]]

The first issue of L'Osservatore Romano was published in Rome on 1 July 1861, a few months after the Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed on 17 March 1861. The original intent of the newspaper was unabashedly polemical and propagandistic in defence of the Papal States, adopting the name of a private pamphlet financed by a French Catholic legitimist group. Acta Sanctae Sedis ceased publication four years later and on 29 September 1908 Acta Apostolicae Sedis became the official publication of the Holy See.

The English weekly edition was first published on 4 April 1968. The edition was printed by the Cathedral Foundation, publishers of The Catholic Review.

In the 21st century, the paper has taken a more objective and subdued stance than at the time of its foundation, priding itself in "presenting the genuine face of the church and the ideals of freedom", following the statement by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone in an October 2006 speech inaugurating a new exhibit dedicated to the founding and history of the newspaper. He further described the publication as "an instrument for spreading the teachings of the successor of Peter and for information about church events".

Relation with the Magisterium

It is a common error to assume that the contents of the L'Osservatore Romano represent the views of the Magisterium, or the official position of the Holy See. In general, this is not the case, and the only parts of the Osservatore which represent the views of the Holy See are those that appear under the titles "Nostre Informazioni" or "Santa Sede". At times the Magisterium disputes the contents of the Osservatore, e.g. a 2008 article expressed the desire that the debate on brain death be reopened because of new developments in the medical world. An official spokesman said that the article presented a personal opinion of the author and "did not reflect a change in the Catholic Church's position".

Leadership

;Editors-in-chief

  • (2018–present)