L’Osservatore di Strada, the new monthly that gives voice to the homeless

On the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, next June 29, after the recitation of the Angelus with the Holy Father, a new monthly from L’Osservatore Romano will be distributed to the faithful in St. Peter’s Square. This is L’Osservatore di Strada, a newspaper designed and produced by the Department of Communication which, with this project, intends to give voice to those who are generally not listened to, to the poor, to those wounded by life, to those who are rejected and excluded. A newspaper to recognize and give voice to those whom contemporary society treats as “rejectedby emphasizing the heritage of experience, knowledge and values ​​of which they are the guardians.

A newspaper “with” the poor

L’Osservatore di Strada will be published on the first Sunday of each month, in print and online. The distribution of paper copies of the monthly will take place every Sunday near St. Peter’s Square, on the occasion of the Pope’s Angelus. Some guests of Palazzo Migliori, the structure entrusted by the Dicastery for Charity to the Community of Sant’Egidio to give a roof to those who do not have one, with the help of volunteers, will take care of it. Although the poor can keep for themselves the offerings they receive from the circulation work (the newspaper will in fact be distributed for free), L’Osservatore di Strada will not only be a newspaper of the poor and for the poor. It is and wants to be above all a newspaper with the poor, a newspaper made together with them, giving those who have a talent for writing or drawing, or simply a story to tell or an opinion to express, a chance to speak out. And if the “tools“missing, the newspaper will provide them, by calling on intellectuals and personalities from the world of culture (writers, poets, journalists, photographers, designers, directors, actors, musicians…) who will put their art to readiness to make a contribution together which is the fruit, not of a cold mediation at the table, but of a direct, face-to-face relationship. Everyone at the same level. To all the same dignity. To all the same respect. .

One cover, twelve pages and one theme per month

The magazine will consist of twelve pages. On the cover, a “street editorial” will introduce the theme of the month, which will then be developed in the article “four hands and two hearts” which will occupy pages 2 and 3. For the first issue, devoted to the theme of “the street“, the article bears the signatures of Mimmo, a homeless man from the historic center of Rome, and the writer Daniele Mencarelli. A special space (page 4) will be dedicated each month to the voice of migrants, who will be able to tell their history and their hopes. L’Osservatore di Strada also wants to take part in the mission of the other information media that depend on the Dicastery for Communication. For this reason, in the central pages, the reflection on the theme of the issue will be led by Pope Francis, through an extensive anthology of his words and deeds. This page will be followed by a page devoted to volunteering, with stories relating the relationship between the good Samaritan and the dying on the road to Jericho. Two pages will then be devoted to “songs from the outskirts“, a collection of stories, reflections, poems, drawings made by people helped by associations and faith groups or simply met in the street. To close these pages, an article will present the experience of other newspapers of street published in Italy and in the world. Finally, “the other blanket”, with two readings, one witty and the other humorous, of the issue’s theme. For the first issue, the authors are Cardinal Enrico Feroci and Roman street artist Maupal (Mauro Pallotta).

An instrument of “collaboration” at the service of charity

“Journal of Social Friendship and Brotherhood“, as the headline says, L’Osservatore di Strada also wants to be an instrument at the service of communion and collaboration between those who put themselves at the service of charity. In this undertaking, the newspaper has collected the support of various realities operating in the world of charity – such as Caritas, San Vincenzo, the Community of Sant’Egidio, the Centro Astalli, the Circle of Saint Peter, the Association of Saints Peter and Paul – and of several people including the Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, Apostolic Chaplain, Cardinal Enrico Feroci and the Auxiliary Bishop of Rome for Charity, Msgr. to cover printing costs, and friends and professionals who will put their time and talents at the disposal of the journal’s editorial staff free of charge.