Synod: The Vatican's media blitz on the Bible
By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
Rome
By the standards of an institution often accused of lacking media savvy, the Vatican is engaged these days in an all-out communications blitz to promote the subject of the Synod of Bishops that runs Oct. 5-26: the Bible.
In conjunction with the opening of the synod, Italian television is broadcasting a round-the-clock marathon that will see the entire Bible read aloud, both Old and New Testaments from cover to cover, over the course of seven days and seven nights. While the broadcast is not a Vatican initiative, the Holy See nevertheless is serving up its most A-list ?talent? to ensure its success: Pope Benedict XVI kicked things off Sunday night by reading the first chapter of the Book of Genesis, and the Vatican?s Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, will bring the 138-hour broadcast to a close on Saturday with the last chapter of Revelation.