Follows the full text of the message of the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella (our translation).
In three decades of life, the Religious Information news Service – SIR – has earned the respect and the credibility of media workers and of the Italian society as a whole, fulfilling its mission to convey to the wide world of old and new media, information on the Italian Catholic Church and on the life in the Country in the wake of Christian-inspired journalism.
My good wishes go to those who are engaged in this experience every day, narrating, critically analyzing the developments of our political and institutional life, highlighting the practices of thriving forces characterising Italy.
Through its activity SIR news agency, an authoritative voice of the Bishops’ Conference, carries out an accurate, committed service connecting Italian dioceses, and through the network of local weeklies it interprets the national territory from a unique perspective extended throughout the rest of Europe and to the furthermost and excluded corners of the world, thereby advancing the right to expression and knowledge.
A daily commitment that deserves appreciation
Lending weight to voices that express a wide range of identities and realities is a service to the entire community of our Republic: pluralism and freedom of opinion are the necessary prerequisites of a civilized Country, enshrined in our Constitution.
In this spirit I hereby wish you to continue providing an important contribution to truthful information based on mutual respect and on the affirmation of the rights of people and communities, which are values underlying our very coexistence.
