Catholic press board urges new stress on diocesan newspapers

Published: 2007-04-11

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Diocesan newspapers deserve new emphasis as a means of spreading the Gospel and connecting Catholics to one another and their church, said the board of directors of the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada. "Diocesan publications can light the fire of faith that warms hearts to action for the good of all," the CPA board said in a statement released April 10. "Recently the Italian Federation of Catholic Weeklies announced a bold initiative, the opening of 76 new diocesan newspapers. The goal ... was that each of Italy's 226 dioceses would have at least one publication to serve its members," the board said. "That same type of emphasis is needed in the United States and Canada," it said. CPA members include a wide range of national and international Catholic newspapers, magazines and newsletters, but the 173 diocesan newspapers of the United States and Canada that belong to the association form nearly half of its member publications. Helen Osman, CPA president, told Catholic News Service April 10 that the board statement was sparked by the strong support Pope Benedict XVI expressed for the diocesan press at a meeting with the Italian federation last November.

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