00 04/08/2012 21:10


Saturday, August 4, 17th Week in Ordinary Time
MEMORIAL OF ST JOHN VIANNEY

ST. JEAN-BAPTISTE MARIE VIANNEY (France, 1786-1859), the Holy Cure d'Ars. Patron Saint of Parish Priests
Because Benedict XVI upheld him as the model for the recent Year for Priests, decreed to honor his 150th death anniversary, this French saint has become one of the best-known of all modern saints. The Holy Father dedicated his catechesis on August 5, 2009, to the 'saint of the year' in the Year for Priests www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2009/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20090805...
Readings for today's Mass:
www.usccb.org/bible/readings/080412.cfm


AT THE VATICAN TODAY

No events announced for the Holy Father.

He has accepted the resignation of the Regent (#2 man) of the Pontifical household, Mons. Paolo de Nicolo,
who has reached 75, and appointed to succeed him
Fr. Leonardo Sapienza, who has been an official in the same Prefecture.


Vatican Radio's English service has another indefensible editorial oversight today. announcing Fr. Sapienza's appointment as "Sapienza to head Prefecture of Pontifical Household" in its headline on the appointment. It does not repeat the line in the report itself, but neither does it mention that the Regent position is #2 to the Prefect, who is Archbishop James Harvey.The report does provide necessary background about this Prefecture:
It is the task of the Prefecture of the Papal Household to coordinate the services of the Antechamber and to organize the official audiences granted by His Holiness to Heads of State, Heads of Government, Governmental Ministers and other dignitaries, as well as to Ambassadors who come to the Vatican to present their Letters of Credence.

The Prefecture takes care of the preparations for all audiences - private, special and general - and visits from those who are formally received by the Holy Father. It is also responsible for arranging Pontifical ceremonies - except liturgical celebrations - as well as the Spiritual Retreat of the Holy Father, the College of Cardinals and the Roman Curia.

In addition, the Prefecture oversees the appropriate arrangements required each time the Holy Father leaves the Apostolic Palace to visit the city of Rome or travel within Italy.
I hope that before the day ends, Vatican Radio will correct its mistake. These errors of fact have been occuring too frequently for comfort. Somehow, whoever is in charge of the English service has not been exercising any editorial oversight, allowing his/her reporters to apparently simply file their reports as is, without benefit of fact checking or editorial rewrite, for that matter (many of these reports also require major rewrites in terms of simple expression. Radio is all about providing the most information in the simplest and most direct way possible. The RV English reporters often fail this test. preferring to be inappropriately verbose and circumlocutory). If the reporter is too young or inexperienced or irresponsible not to be able to do his own fact-checking, his editor has the duty to take up the slack and not allow inaccuracies or falsehoods to get on the air or online.