Lord Patten chairs first meeting of Vatican media commission

The commission on Vatican media will meet for the first time today.

The 11-member committee, which is chaired by Lord Patten of Barnes, will hold discussions over the next two days at the Domus Sanctae Marthae.

In a statement, Fr Federico Lombardi said: “As a first meeting, it will be dedicated primarily to drawing up a framework for the common base of information necessary to enable the work of the members (several of whom are from contexts external to the Vatican), the planning of the work to be done over the coming months, and the method to be used.

“The commission itself, during its first meeting, will establish its own strategy of communication. Therefore, interviews or communications will not be given prior to the meeting.”

The commission’s creation was announced seven months after the Vatican hired a consultancy firm to advise on its communication structures.