L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO. - Political-religious daily newspaper of Vatican City.
Under this title there appeared in Rome (1848-50) a newspaper directed by Abbot Battelli, suppressed by order of the government of Turin. In 1860 the papal government resolved to establish a strictly supervised polemical religious daily:
L'Amico della verità; and in 1861 the deputy minister of the Interior, M. A. Pacelli, entrusted its realization to two Romagnol refugees - N. Zanchini and G. Bastia - extending the polemical task of the new newspaper to politics as well; it was named L'o. r.
Financed by private individuals, but subsidized and privileged by the Government, it came out with its first issue on July 1, 1861. In 1863 the Marquis Augusto Baviera became its director, and eventually came to have the entire management in his hands. Around 1873 the French group of the Journal de Rome sought to take possession of the O. r.; but the Holy See regained full control of it and thwarted the attempt. The semi-official character that derived from such possession was at various times concealed behind the appearance of being the organ of various Catholic institutions.
After 1870 the Holy See thought of placing alongside the O. r. a Milanese daily, L'osservatore cattolico (v.), and a Florentine one, already in existence: L'unità cattolica (v.).
Throughout the pontificate of Leo XIII the newspaper published daily a notice of protest against the occupation of Rome; during the First World War the bulletins, only Stefani's, had a daily preamble on the impartiality of the paper. With Nov. 4, 1929, the O. r. entered Vatican City; from 1934 an illustrated weekly was derived from it. After the three mentioned above, the directors were C. Crispolti, G. B. Casoni, C. Angelini. Since 1920 it has been directed by Count G. Della Torre di Sanguinetto. For the more recent life of the newspaper, v. GIORNALISMO CATTOLICO.
Bibliography4 works
Andrea Lazzarini