I am back in Rome after an unforgettable trip to New York, attending the installation Mass of Abp. Ronald Hicks, New York’s new archbishop, sharing a meal with Cardina Dolan, my friend of three decades, and breaking bread with so many other friends! It’s good to be here but I already miss the Big Apple!
HAPPY 95TH ANNIVERSARY, VATICAN RADIO!
Today, as you are about to read, is Vatican Radio’s 95th anniversary! Best wishes to everyone at the radio! I had a program there for many years called “Joan Knows.” Wishing everyone many, many more wonderful years!
Elettra Marconi, daughter of Guglielmo Marconi, inventor of Vatican Radio, was interviewed for this occasion by Vatican News. Elettra is a regular guest at many social events in Rome and I’ve spoken to her on a number of occasions over the years including several times at the Rector’s Dinner at the North American College. Being with her, as you can imagine, is just like listening to a history book! She is celebrated for loving the color blue (and various shades of it, especially turquoise, even green) and you can always spot her in a room, her smile inviting you as well!
ELETTRA MARCONI: RADIO REMAINS THE MOST RELIABLE MEDIUM
‘All my affection and gratitude.’ Those are Princess Elettra Marconi’s words on the 95th anniversary of Vatican Radio, inaugurated by her father Guglielmo on 12 February 1931 at the invitation of Pope Pius XI.
By Massimiliano Menichetti
Interviewing Princess Elettra Marconi is an extraordinary experience. Not only because we are in the apartment on Rome’s Via Condotti, steeped in memories, from which her father Guglielmo, at the push of a button on October 12, 1931, illuminated the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro – but also because one feels the strength and devotion of a daughter who has dedicated her entire life to promoting the legacy of one of the greatest scientists of all time.
An English-language transcript of the interview is below.
Q: Princess Elettra, you have always been a strong supporter of Vatican Radio. What does the broadcaster’s 95th anniversary mean to you?
A: It is an extremely important date, because in my father’s life it was a very beautiful and deeply moving moment. He had great faith in God and also great admiration and friendship for the Holy Father, Pope Pius XI. He was always supported by the Pope in Italy. The Pope himself had the mind of a researcher; he followed inventions closely, wanted to know the details, and would call to hear about the latest discoveries.
Guglielmo Marconi designed and physically built Vatican Radio, inaugurated in 1931. What did he tell you about that experience?
Everything revolved around the importance of Vatican Radio. Thank God there is that beautiful newsreel by the Istituto Luce, which shows my father—after agreeing with the Pope to build this powerful radio station to reach the whole world—presenting it. He wanted to present the Pope to the world. In that footage, you can see how aware and moved my father was. And the Pope’s response—Pius XI’s words—were wonderful and extraordinarily intelligent.
My father devoted himself completely to the project. It was the longest period he ever stayed in Rome, for several consecutive months. He was always traveling—London, New York—but this was exceptional.
I remember that whenever we returned, we would speak about how that had been his longest stay in one place. He went to the Vatican every day, and every day the Pope would walk in the Vatican gardens to follow the progress of the work. There are marvelous photographs and film of them together. A street was later named “Via Guglielmo Marconi.” There is a photograph of His Holiness Pope Pius XI walking beside him there. TO CONTINUE: Elettra Marconi: Radio remains the most reliable medium – Vatican News
Joan's Rome 