Retired American official at Vatican receives communication award

Published: 2004-06-17

DAYTON, Ohio (CNS) -- In accepting the Daniel J. Kane Religious Communication Award from the University of Dayton, Marjorie Weeke reflected on her career as an official with the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Social Communications. Her biggest surprise was when a Turkish journalist called her with the news: "I have the mother of the pope's (would-be) assassin with me, and she wants to meet him and say how sorry she is." Weeke pulled the meeting off. "I managed to get a Vatican TV photographer in the room when he embraced her. That was the one bright light in that awful period" following the assassination attempt, she said. During three decades in the Vatican under three popes, Weeke coordinated radio, TV, film, video and photographic coverage for more than 1,000 large-scale celebrations, including three Holy Years, the millennium and canonization ceremonies.

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