UNITED STATES
America
James Martin, S.J. | Jul 11 2016
Journalists pay tribute to the outgoing Vatican spokesman
Father Federico Lombardi at his desk at the Holy See Press Office (photo by James Martin, S.J.)
One of the most delightful surprises of a brief trip to Rome earlier this year was visiting with a number of Vatican correspondents and hearing a group of diverse, hard-driving and ultra-professional journalists more or less melt when I mentioned one person’s name.
“Oh, I love Father Lombardi!” “You’re seeing Father Lombardi? Please tell him I said hello!” “You’re staying in the same community with Father Lombardi? Don’t you love him?”
It is not hard to see why Federico Lombardi, S.J., who today announced his resignation as papal spokesperson, was so beloved by the Vatican press corps. To begin with, Father Lombardi possesses a vast knowledge of the church. A former provincial superior of the Jesuits’ Italian province, he was named program director of Vatican Radio in 1991 and general director in 2005. In 2006, he was named director of Vatican Television Centre as well. That same year, he was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as the papal spokesperson, replacing Joaquin Navarro-Valls, who had held the position for 22 years.
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