Debate: Should the Vatican put more energy into public relations?

I don't see why having a large, professional press office that responds quickly to queries has to be slick and insincere.

I think the main thing is that the people themselves are genuinely motivated to serve the Church.

When the Vatican issued its norms, there was not one word from the bishops of England and Wales. Yet clearly the norms needed explaining. The US bishops held a separate press conference – surely it would have been helpful for the English and Welsh bishops to do the same? Lots of people I know were genuinely confused by the norms – they thought the Vatican was saying child abuse and “ordaining” women were morally equivalent.

Get real religious nuts. The time is at its end now that people are executed by so called religious people, making a god an excuse for killing.
Is not the church responsible for its followers who abuse children. now is the time to stand up and admit religion has been one of the most evil inventions by man.

Sorry Burritobob, I'm with Andrew and Andrew Brown at the Gruaniad on this one. While the Vatican courts disaster when it comes to its PR strategy (and my goodness, it's pretty damn bad sometimes), it's really refreshing that it is not a slick PR operation. We're so oversaturated with media campaigns, viral advertising, lobbying and what-have you that it's almost encouraging to see the institution which is so often accused of brainwashing people with propaganda, lies and devious methods struggle with the basics of presenting a story.

The Vatican doesn't need a glittering PR strategy, rather it needs to reform its channels of communication and the way the Curial departments communicate with each other.

At the moment, some wit has described it, the Vatican communications strategy consists of Jesuit with a fax machine. That needs to change. Fr Lombardi is a very capable guy. He takes a press conference and gets the journalists to laugh, while informing them. But he hardly ever speaks to the Pope. This is unusual. The leaders of multinational companies and normal statesmen meet with their chief press officers on an almost daily basis. It is odd that the spiritual leader of 1billion people does not confer with his press officer more regularly.

Curial departments also struggle to communicate with one another, the Vatican press office and the Holy Father. There needs to be more communication and more clarity. And perhaps someone with common sense who thinks, just occasionally, on how the Church is perceived in the non-Catholic world.

Because it is the lay people, who are not necessarily the best equipped in these times, who bear the brunt of the Vatican's PR gaffes. For us lay people, it would be good if we got some decent catechesis and some proper evangelisation from our priests and some clarity of understanding on how the temporal structures of our faith work, so that we arent sitting there apologising for obscure canonical processes which nobody outside the Vatican understands, least of all journalists.

More Energy?? They are not at the races at all in Rome. I cringe when I hear they are about to issue statements. Nothing wrong with most of what they say, but the way its presented, and coupled together leaves a lot to be desired!
The media just love it of course. Own goal after own goal…..

I find it strange that the concept of slick PR is deemed something that as always been lacking at the Vatican. Pope John Paul II had a mastery of PR and dealing with the press that could have given Tony Blair a run for his money. JPII had many of his speeches proof read without question to avoid glaring errors. On top of this his acting skills from his formative years had the press and public alike eating out of his hand. In the absence of JPII there is not a need for slick PR but surely a desperate need for a dose of common sense at the Vatican press office.