It is almost 12,000 hours of broadcasts in a single year, including radio commentaries, as well as news, liturgical and musical programs. This is the identity of Vatican Radio, the radio station of the Holy See, established by Pope Pius XI, who entrusted it to the Society of Jesus, and which was built by Guglielmo Marconi ninety years ago. Today we broadcast in 41 languages and every day we bring the words of the Gospel and the voice of the Pope to the whole world.

This anniversary is particularly challenging for us. We are celebrating 90 years at a time when one of the greatest trials for all humanity is underway due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Our mission has always been to leave no one unaccompanied, and to bring the hope of the Christian proclamation, the voice of the Pope to the world, and to relate the facts of the news in the light of the Gospel. This moment involves and challenges us further.

Statistics and research tell us that radio is in excellent shape. In many parts of the world, in addition to transmitting radio waves, it is also broadcasting images, messages, interactions. Radio also lives on social media; it has become part of them. It certainly offers immediacy and speed. Our vocation is to bring the Good News to everyone, and to do this we use radio waves and digital “bits”.

Pope Pius XI inaugurated Vatican Radio on 12 February 1931 with the clear mission of carrying the voice of the Pope and the hope of the Gospel to every corner of the globe.

It was designed and set up by Guglielmo Marconi, who invented the first commercially-successful radio transmission system, and was entrusted to the Jesuit Order until 2017.

Now, 90 years later, Vatican Radio has expanded its operations to include radio transmissions in 41 languages.

To mark this major milestone, the broadcaster is also launching a reworked website and a web radio which will broadcast programming 24 hours a day.

The Vatican Radio’s directors praised the long-standing efforts of Vatican Radio, whose staff hail from 69 nations.

Dr. Paolo Ruffini, Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, Vatican Radio’s parent organization, said the Radio is continually evolving while remaining rooted in its originality and identity.

“We celebrate this historic milestone with gratitude for all that has been done by those who have come before us,” he said, “and who looked toward the future at the same time.”

Vatican Radio, he pointed out, maintains its dedication to its original mission of “service to the Church, the Pope, and the human person wherever they may be, no matter what religion or culture they belong to.”

Pope Francis sends well-wishes

Pope Francis sends a message to the staff of Vatican Radio, as the Pope’s Radio celebrates its 90th anniversary on Friday, February 12.

 “Dear brothers and sisters, happy anniversary.”

Pope Francis opened his message to Vatican Radio with those words of greeting.

He also thanked the staff, who hail from 69 nations, for their work and for “the love you put into it.”

“It is important to conserve the memory of our history, and to be nostalgic not so much for the past as for the future that we are called to build,” he added.

The Pope went on to praise the wide reach of the radio.

“Radio has this beautiful trait: it carries the word to the most distant places,” he said. “And it accompanies it today with images and the written word.”

Pope Francis then encouraged Vatican Radio employees to help spread the truth.

“Strive ahead with courage and creativity in speaking to the world, and thus build up a type of communication capable of helping us see the truth of things.”