Veteran Vatican reporter sees Pope Francis as ‘best communicator’
March 24, 2025
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CWN Editor's Note: Valentina Alazraki, a Mexican journalist who has covered the Vatican since 1978, says that Pope Francis is “the best communicator there is.”
In a speech commenting on the Pontiffs she has covered, Alazraki said that Pope John Paul II was extremely effective in communications, in large part because he worked well with the Vatican press office and his spokesman, Dr. Joaquin Navarro-Valls. Pope Benedict did not work closely with the press office, she said, and this was partly responsible for some negative media coverage.
Pope Francis also does not work through the Vatican communications machinery, Alazraki remarked; he handles the media directly, and sometimes pays the price in public statements that go awry. The veteran Vatican-watcher says of Pope Francis:
He believes he communicates with his language, with his spontaneous, non-institutional communication. And the press office reflects the pope’s desire to be the one who communicates.The above note supplements, highlights, or corrects details in the original source (link above). About CWN news coverage.
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