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 100th Anniversary of the Publication of "L'Osservatore Romano" Scott 310-312 (1961) Last week, on July 1, the daily newspaper of the Vatican, "L'Osservatore Romano" ("The Roman Observer"), celebrated the anniversary of its inception in 1861. On July 4, 1961, Vatican City issued the three stamps shown above to honor the centenary of the first issue of the publication. The stamps depict the mastheads of newspaper from 1861 and 1961, the editorial offices, and a rotary press. The first issue of "L'Osservatore Romano" was published in Rome on July 1, 1861, a few months after the establishment of the Kingdom of Italy. The original content of the newspaper was intended to defend the views of the Holy See following the defeat of the Papal States in September of 1860. In 1870, following the breach of the Porta Pia by Italian troops and the capture of Rome (completing the fall of the Pontifical States), "L'Osservatore Romano" intensified its opposition to the Kingdom of Italy and affirmed its allegiance to the Pope and its adherence to his directives. In a statement of its mission, the paper declared that it would remain faithful "to that unchangeable principle of religion and morals which recognizes as its sole depository and claimant the Vicar of Jesus Christ on earth". The Vatican officially acquired ownership of the paper in 1885, during the pontificate of Pope Leo XIII. Although owned by the Vatican, "L'Osservatore Romano" is not the official publication of directives of the Holy See: that role is reserved for the "Acta Apostolicae Sedis". "L'Osservatore Romano" reports on the activities of the Holy See and events taking place in the Church and around the world. The views expressed in the newspaper are those of the authors, unless the articles contain the titles "Nostre Informazioni" or "Santa Sede". The paper is published in nine languages and is distributed in daily, weekly and monthly formats, depending on the language of publication. In addition to the centenary issue illustrated above, Vatican City has honored the newspaper on two other occasions. In 2011, a ten-stamp set was issued to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the publication and, in 2021, its 160th anniversary was remembered (along with the 90th anniversary of Vatican Radio): 
 Left: 150th Anniversary of "L'Osservatore Romano" (Scott 1478, 2011) Right: 90th Anniversary of Vatican Radio and 160th Anniversary of L'Osservatore Romano (Scott 1765, 2021) The 2011 set presents the front page of "L'Osservatore Romano" for each of the ten popes elected since its founding through 2011 (from Pope Leo XIII in 1878 to Pope Benedict XVI in 2005). Here is the recent front page from the election of Pope Leo XIV:  L'Osservatore Romano, May 8, 2025 From Wikimedia Commons Used under terms of "fair use" content as described under US copyright law. REFERENCES: |
