France: A magazine dedicated to Pope Francis

After Italy and Germany, Pope Francis has now made the front cover of a French magazine entirely dedicated to him. Since June 23, 2015, Notre Pape François (Our Pope Francis) has been available in the newspaper stands for 4.90€. Also sold in Switzerland and Canada, this French version of Il mio papa launched in March 2014 and Mein Papst launched in March 2015 (see DICI no.314, April 24, 2015) is, as 20minutes put it on June 23, "religious in People style". Flashy colors, pictures in disarray, and subjects "as close as possible" to Francis: the magazine makes the pope out to be a veritable star."

While the format tends to be "modern", the subjects remain "sober"; the summary of the first edition of this bimonthly magazine reads: a year with the pope, a document on the important dates of the religious calendar celebrated by the sovereign pontiff, and another article on his election.

According to the magazine's Italian editor-in-chief, Aldo Vitali, quoted by 20minutes, "the pope has won everyone over, believers and non-believers"; he has "managed to arouse a renewed interest in moral, ethical and religious questions." Similar projects are in the making in Brazil and Poland.

(source: 20minutes – DICI no. 318 dated July 10, 2015)

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“Mein Papst”: Pope Francis’ new magazine