Europe's news in English

COPY LINK

NETFLIX

‘Netflix of the Vatican’ launches on Italian TV

A new on-demand service, VatiVision, that has been dubbed the "Netflix of the Vatican", was due to be launched on Monday in Italy, broadcasting films, series and documentaries with Christian messages, before an eventual rollout to eight other countries.

Published: 6 June 2020 06:53 CEST

'Netflix of the Vatican' launches on Italian TV

All pope, all the time - would you watch Vatican TV. Photo: Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP

VatiVision President Luca Tomassini has said that the potential audience for the service could be the “one billion and 300 million people of Catholic faith”, around the world.

The new company is owned by Vetrya, an Italian cloud computing platform for the telecoms industry, and Officina della Communicazione, which produces religious and cultural content for various Vatican institutions.

“The world's first multi device platform is born dedicated to the dissemination of cultural, artistic and religious content inspired by the Christian message,” reads the website of VatiVision, whose slogan is “Culture, art and faith, everywhere with you.”

Following the Italian launch, the company plans to progressively roll out the service in the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Brasil, the Philippines, Spain and Poland.

At a presentation by VatiVision earlier this week, the Holy See's top communications officer, Paolo Ruffini, said the company had “understood the importance of offering contents related to Catholic tradition and culture.”

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.

Become a Member to leave a comment.

Pope calls for a quicker vaccine rollout in Italy's Easter Sunday message

Pope Francis delivers his Urbi et Orbi Blessing, after celebrating Easter Mass on April 04, 2021 at St. Peter's Basilica in The Vatican during the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / POOL / AFP)

On the holiest holiday for the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics and the second under the shadow of the coronavirus crisis, the Pope focused his message on the world’s most vulnerable – the sick, migrants, people facing economic hardship, and those living in war zones like Syria, Yemen and Libya.

“The pandemic is still spreading, while the social and economic crisis remains severe, especially for the poor,” the 84-year-old Argentine said, speaking to a congregation of only around 100 people inside the vast St. Peter’s Basilica.

“Vaccines are an essential tool in this fight,” he said, calling on the international community to overcome delays in distributing vaccines, “especially in the poorest countries”.

READ ALSO: Children lead the way in Italy’s reduced Good Friday service

Francis, who has focused on the plight of vulnerable groups since becoming pope in 2013, had already warned rich nations against vaccine hoarding in an address to the UN General Assembly in September.

The pope said it was “scandalous” that armed conflicts around the world had not ceased. He called for an end to the war in Syria, “where millions of people are presently living in inhumane conditions”, and in Yemen “whose situation has met with a deafening and scandalous silence”.

A deserted St. Peter’s Square in The Vatican, after the Pope’s Easter Mass and Urbi et Orbi blessing during the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

He also expressed his closeness to Myanmar’s youth – “committed to supporting democracy” – called for dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians, and urged an end to violence in Africa, citing Nigeria, the Sahel, Northern Ethiopia’s Tigray region and Cabo Delgado in Mozambique.

“There are still too many wars and too much violence in the world,” Francis said, adding that April 4th marked an awareness day against landmines, “insidious and horrible devices”.

An Easter message in Lockdown before a key month in Italy

The Pope’s Easter “Urbi et Orbi” (To the city and the world) message in the Vatican came as 60 million Italians spent the Easter holiday under lockdown.

The whole of Italy, the first country in Europe to have been hit by the coronavirus, has been declared a high-risk “red zone” from Saturday through Monday, with restrictions on movement and restaurants closed along with non-essential retail.

READ ALSO: Covid-19: What can you do this Easter in lockdown Italy?

Despite the gloom, there have been hopeful signs that vaccinations are gaining pace in Italy, while infection rates dipped in late March – although emergency rooms remain under enormous strain.

April is set to be a crucial month for Italy’s vaccine rollout, with authorities hoping to administer 300,000 doses per day within two weeks, according to the country’s coronavirus commissioner, General Francesco Paolo Figliuolo.

Three regions, including that of Veneto, which includes Venice, are also preparing to slightly loosen their anti-coronavirus rules from Tuesday onwards, passing from the most restrictive “red” zone to “orange”.

Url copied to clipboard!