Vatican yearbook goes online

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican’s fat red yearbook, known as the Annuario Pontificio, will now be available and updated regularly on an app and online.

The digital platform “will guarantee reliable and immediate access to certified content, promoting an accurate and documented account of the life of the church,” the Vatican Secretariat of State said in a press release Dec. 9.

The pontifical yearbook lists: all Vatican offices and staff; the world’s dioceses and mission territories; bishops, cardinals and international religious orders of men and women; papal diplomats and ambassadors to the Vatican; historical notes, such as a list of the popes and their years in office, and more.

Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, substitute for general affairs in the secretariat, and others met with Pope Leo XIV Dec. 6 to present the initiative and to let him try searching the platform on a tablet.

“Thank you for this work, which will be of great use to so many people who work serving the church,” the pope told those present. “I encourage you to continue in this spirit of service, so that what is established with care and attention may become an even greater help over time.”

Archbishop Parra said, “The digitization of the Pontifical Yearbook represents a significant step in the renewal of the Holy See’s tools of service. At a time when communication is increasingly rapid and global, offering immediate and reliable access to information on the life of the church — with certified data — means putting technology at the service of the church’s mission.”

The thick, hardcover yearbook typically numbers more than 2,500 pages and is available only in Italian. Printed once a year, the Vatican used to send out changes and updates once or twice a month via email and post them online. Officials from the Secretariat of State are responsible for updating the volume.

Now, as a digital resource, information will be revised and updated more often, the secretariat’s press release said.

After creating an account online and paying the annual subscription fee ($79), the online version is available at annuariopontificio.catholic or on an app optimized for smartphones and tablets.

After the initial rollout, the platform will add expanded capabilities, such as other languages and past data for archival purposes.

The hardcopy volume will still be published, the secretariat said, because of the historical value of such documentation.