A institution born in the 16th century, the “Tipografia Vaticana” printed the official documents and the booklets necessary for the purposes of the functioning of the Vatican and the Holy See. Since the death of pope Francis, the forty employees has been working tirelessly to ensure the smooth running of the conclave and the beginnings of the new pontificate.
Jean -Benoît Harel – City of the Vatican
In the Synod room of the Paul-Vi complex, to the left of the Saint-Pierre basilica, the cardinals discuss the future of the church and reflect on the necessary qualities of the future sovereign pontiff. On the other side of the Vatican basilica, the material preparation of the conclave occupies all minds.
Visits of the “Vatican Typography” Avec Guido Benfante
In front of a large hall open to the street, pass busy ecclesiastics, gendarmes or pressed employees. It is the seat of the “Tipografia Vaticana”, the Vatican printing house, a few meters from the apostolic palace. Since the announcement of the death of François, the noise of the printing machines has intensified, testifies Guido Benfante, coordinator of the institution: “There is a lot of work, more than usual! With Holy Week, the announcement of the death of François and the vacant sede, we have a lot to do».
Orders are multiplying: Mass booklets for the pope’s funerals, those for novemdiales, a period of nine days of prayer for the rest of the soul of the deceased sovereign pontiff but also the “pro Eligendo ponnifice” mass this Wednesday, May. “”We worked day and night to provide our service with the Holy See in a very short time, with a doubling of the work bearings“Explains the coordinator who has worked for seven years at the Vatican. The jerky noise of the machines and the comings and goings of the employees in workfall punctuate the visit of the four rooms on the ground floor.
Production workshops.
“An honor to do this work”
All current requests come out of the ordinary, whether it be the number of booklets, the 30,000 copies of the Romano Osservatore of April 21, the day of death of the Pope, partly printed by the “Tipografia” or even the documents necessary for the conclave.
-Indeed, in order to help the 133 voters who enter the Sistine Chapel, a directory listing the biographies of all the cardinals has been printed and distributed. The institution officially created in 1587 must also print the ballots necessary for the election of the future Pope. This is a “very simple ticket with a little gilding ”, With the inscription “Eligo in Summum Pontificem” (“I elis like Sovereign Pontiff”) and a line to register the name of the cardinal chosen by each voter.
«It is an honor for us to do this work for the proper functioning of the Holy See», Testifies Guido Benfante, strolling between the pallets of art books, copies of the Roman observer or lots of prints waiting to be shipped. In addition to the Vatican machine, the other customers of the “Tipografia” are mostly linked to the Holy See such as pontifical universities or certain hospitals, but also external entities “Because as François said, we must be creative».
The cardinal directory distributed to voters.
Preparation for the next pontificate
Upstairs, the craft workshop is already preparing for the next few weeks, and the beginnings of the new Pope. It is here that specific and by hand are made to specific documents, such as sheepskin parchments given to each cardinal during its appointment, or the sub-men stored according to the coat of arms of the Holy Father.
On the workbench, the parts useful for the gilding of the official writings decorated with the coat of arms of Pope Francis will be replaced after twelve years of service. “”François’ emblem was more difficult to achieve than that of Benedict XVI, because he had seven colors: blue, red, golden, gold … But it is not a problem, we adapt“, Ensures Guido Benfante. From his election, the next pope will choose his coat of arms, and the whole printing will get to work to apply his coat of arms on all official documents. “”We start from scratch“, He smiles while two technicians make a binder for the archives.
Printing machines.
«We also work for the dissemination of the speech of the Holy Father, through the works we create. All our work strengthens the meaning of belonging that each person working in the Vatican feels“Concludes Guido Benfante. In front of the influx of exceptional orders, the small hands of the “Tipografia” tirelessly continue their essential mission to the service of the faithful who come to Rome, the 133 cardinals present and the future sovereign pontiff.
