Vaticanology is a term coined in the 20th century to describe the field of journalism and research studying and reporting about how the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

and the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

operate. It is named after the

Vatican City Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State (; ), is a Landlocked country, landlocked sovereign state and city-state; it is enclaved within Rome, the capital city of Italy and Bishop of Rome, seat of the Catholic Church. It became inde ...

, the Holy See's sovereign territory

enclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is so ...

d within

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Particular emphasis tend to be placed on the selection and appointment mechanisms by which the Church's leadership emerges. A journalist or scholar focusing on this area of expertise is sometimes referred to as a Vaticanologist, Vaticanist, or Vatican watcher.

Origin and history

It owes its origins to the term Kremlinologist, which was used to describe media, academic and commentary experts who followed the function of the

Communist Party of the Soviet Union The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),. Abbreviated in Russian as КПСС, ''KPSS''. at some points known as the Russian Communist Party (RCP), All-Union Communist Party and Bolshevik Party, and sometimes referred to as the Soviet ...

in general and the functioning and selection of the leadership elite in particular. Both the

Kremlin The Moscow Kremlin (also the Kremlin) is a fortified complex in Moscow, Russia. Located in the centre of the country's capital city, the Moscow Kremlin (fortification), Kremlin comprises five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Mosco ...

and the Holy See operated in a great degree of secrecy and mystery, hence the attention paid to "experts" who were presumed to be able to read subtle nuances indicating who was on the "way up", who was on the "way down" and who were the "ones to watch" within their leadership elites. Famous Vaticanologists include the author and commentator

Peter Hebblethwaite Peter Hebblethwaite (30 September 1930 – 18 December 1994) was a British Jesuit priest and writer. After leaving the priesthood, he became an editor, journalist (' Vaticanologist') and biographer. Life Hebblethwaite was born in Ashton-und ...

, who wrote biographies of (among others)

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII (born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...

and

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

, as well as a best-selling account of the events of 1978 in '' Year of Three Popes''.

Robert Blair Kaiser Robert Blair Kaiser (January 11, 1931 – April 2, 2015) was an American author and journalist, best known for his writing on the Catholic Church. Biography Kaiser trained as a Jesuit from 1949 to 1959. He left the order and his intention to be o ...

was a noted contributor in the field, who did much reporting on the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

for ''

TIME Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

''. For the

2005 papal conclave A papal conclave was held on 18 and 19 April 2005 to elect a new pope to succeed John Paul II, who had died on 2 April 2005. Of the 117 eligible cardinal electors, all but two attended. On the fourth ballot, the conclave elected Cardinal Josep ...

, the first

papal conclave A conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to appoint the pope of the Catholic Church. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. Concerns around ...

in the age of the continuous news cycle and the Internet, many Vaticanologists became prominent through their wide dissemination both on television and in online publications.

Blog A blog (a Clipping (morphology), truncation of "weblog") is an informational website consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries also known as posts. Posts are typically displayed in Reverse chronology, reverse chronologic ...

s have become a popular means for amateur Vatican watchers to share their thoughts and insights.

List of recent Vaticanologists

*Ed Condon and J.D. Flynn, ''The Pillar'' * John L. Allen Jr.,
Crux Now
' *

Matthew Bunson Matthew Bunson (born 1966) is Vice President and Editorial Director of EWTN News, the Catholic multimedia network and is an American author of more than 50 books, a historian, professor, editor, Roman Catholic theologian. He is also a Senior Fello ...

EWTN The Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) is an American basic cable television network which presents around-the-clock Catholic programming. It is the largest Catholic television network in America, and is purported to be "the world's larges ...

and ''

National Catholic Register The ''National Catholic Register'' is a Catholic newspaper in the United States. It was founded on November 8, 1927, by Matthew J. Smith as the national edition of the '' Denver Catholic Register''. The ''Registers current owner is the Ete ...

'' *

Bruno Bartoloni Bruno Bartoloni (26 March 1940 – 18 October 2024) was an Italian journalist and writer. Life and career Born in Rome on 26 March 1940, Bartoloni was the son of journalist Giulio Bartoloni and Marianne Dorn-Warschauer, a German Jew who was the ...

Gerson Camarotti Gerson may refer to: Given name *Gerson Baldé (born 2000), Portuguese athlete * Gerson von Bleichröder (1822–1893), Jewish German banker * Gérson Caçapa (born 1967), Brazilian former footballer * Gerson Goldhaber (1924–2010), German-born Am ...

Globo News GloboNews is a Brazilian news-based pay television channel, owned by Canais Globo, a division of Grupo Globo. History GloboNews launched in 1996. In the previous year, Alice-Maria Reiniger had been invited to return to Sky Brasil, where she had ...

Massimo Franco Massimo Franco (6 November 1954) is an Italian journalist, author, and member of the editorial board for the Italian newspaper ''Corriere della Sera''. Biography Born in Rome, Franco is a journalist for ''Corriere della Sera''. He previously w ...

, ''

Corriere della Sera (; ) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average circulation of 246,278 copies in May 2023. First published on 5 March 1876, is one of Italy's oldest newspapers and is Italy's most read newspaper. Its masthead has remain ...

'' *

Eric Frattini Eric Frattini (born 1963 in Lima) is a Spanish writer. Works *''La Entrevista. El arte y la ciencia'' (1994) *''Tiburones de la Comunicación'' (1996) *''Guía Básica del Cómic'' (1998) *''Guía de las Organizaciones Internacionales'' (1 ...

, Mauri Spagnol Group, Sperling & Kupfer * Delia Gallagher,

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

's Faith and Values correspondent * Michael Hewitt-Gleeson, popelucianischool.net * Robert Hutchinson, author of ''When in Rome: A Journal of Life in Vatican City'' *

Sandro Magister Sandro Magister (born 2 October 1943) is an Italian journalist who writes for the magazine ''L'espresso''. Magister specializes in religious news, in particular on the Catholic Church and the Vatican. He has written two books on the political h ...

, ''

L'Espresso () is an Italian progressive weekly news magazine. It is one of the two most prominent Italian weeklies; the other is the conservative magazine . Since 2022, it has been published by BFC Media. From 7 August 2016 to 10 September 2023, it was ...

'' * Vasin Manasurangul, Pope Report * George Menachery, '' Vatican Adventure''Read following articles at http://www.indianchristianity.com: Wednesday Morning, 2013 March 13.Black Smoke for the first time in 2013 - The Mass for the Election of the Pope/Missa Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice - Possible Popes2013 - SUNDAY MORNING - The Sistine Chimney and the Two Stoves Installed - Cardinal Oswald Gracias for Pope - Conclave must not be Pre-poned - Prof. Menachery - ELECTING A NEW POPE: THE CONCLAVE AND ALL THAT - LAST DAYS OF POPE JOHN PAUL II * Robert Mickens, globalpulse.com *

Frédéric Mounier Frédéric and Frédérick are the French versions of the common male given name Frederick. They may refer to: In artistry: * Frédéric Back, Canadian award-winning animator * Frédéric Bartholdi, French sculptor * Frédéric Bazille, Impress ...

, '' La Croix'' * Robert Moynihan, ''Inside the Vatican'' *Gerard O'Connell, ''

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

'' *

Rocco Palmo Rocco Palmo (born 1973) is a Catholic commentator and writer living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Education Palmo was raised in a large Italian family in South Philadelphia. He is a great-nephew of the onetime papal Secretary of State Cardina ...

, Whispers in the Loggia *

Catherine Pepinster Catherine Marie Pepinster (born 7 June 1959) is an English editor, historian, commentator and writer with a focus on theology, Catholic and Anglican ecumenism, church history, and religion and politics. She was the first female editor of ''The ...

, ''

The Tablet ''The Tablet'' is a Catholic Church, Catholic international weekly review published in London. Brendan Walsh, previously literary editor and then acting editor, was appointed editor in July 2017. History ''The Tablet'' was launched in 1840 by ...

'' *

Elisabetta Piqué Elisabetta Piqué is an Italian-born Argentine journalist and Vatican correspondent for the newspaper ''La Nación''. She wrote the biography '' Pope Francis: Life and Revolution'' (2013). The film '' Francis: Pray for Me'' is based on her book, ...

, ''

La Nación ''La Nación'' () is an Argentine daily newspaper. As the country's leading conservative newspaper, ''La Nación''s main competitor is the more liberal ''Clarín (Argentine newspaper), Clarín''. It is regarded as a newspaper of record for Argen ...

'' * Marco Politi, ''

La Repubblica (; English: "the Republic") is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper with an average circulation of 151,309 copies in May 2023. It was founded in 1976 in Rome by Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso (now known as GEDI Gruppo Editoriale) and l ...

'' * Philip Pullela,

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

Peter Steinfels Peter F. Steinfels (born 1941) is an American journalist and educator best known for his writings on religious topics. A native of Chicago, Illinois, and a lifelong Roman Catholic, Steinfels earned his Ph.D. from Columbia University and joined th ...

, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' * Damian Thompson, ''

The Catholic Herald The ''Catholic Herald'' is a London-based Roman Catholic monthly magazine, founded in 1888 and a sister organisation to the non-profit Catholic Herald Institute, based in New York. After 126 years as a weekly newspaper, it became a magazine ...

'' *

Andrea Tornielli Andrea Tornielli (born 19 March 1964) is an Italian Catholic journalist and religious writer who serves as the editorial manager for the Vatican City, Vatican's Dicastery for Communication. Biography A graduate in History of the Greek language, ...

, ''

Il Giornale (), known from its founding in 1974 until 1983 as (), is an Italian-language daily newspaper published in Milan with an average circulation of 28,933 in May 2023. In 2006, it was considered one of Italy's main national newspapers. History an ...

'', ''

La Stampa (English: "The Press") is an Italian daily newspaper published in Turin with an average circulation of 87,143 copies in May 2023. Distributed in Italy and other European nations, it is one of the oldest newspapers in Italy. Until the late 1970 ...

'' * Paul Vallely, papal biographer, ''Pope Francis – Untying the Knots'' * Giancarlo Zizola, ''Le Monde''

References

{{Reflist Catholic culture Election of the pope Subfields of political science Society of Vatican City