"A tool to serve all the Catholic communities of Kerala" and "the work of evangelisation and ecumenical dialogue for which they stand out". This is how Gian Maria Vian, editor in chief of "L’Osservatore Romano", defines the issue in Malayalam language of the paper of the Holy See, which, "for the first time ever, from next week will be printed in non-Latin types". "July 3rd the day on which the Apostle Thomas is celebrated in the East and West will be actually the birthday of the issue in Malayalam language of the weekly issue in English language of the Pope’s paper", explains Vian. The first non-Western alphabet in which the Vatican paper will be read "belongs therefore to India, where a small but venerable Christianity has been rooted for at least eighteen centuries and is related to Saint Thomas". According to the editor in chief, "this novelty is truly important, as highlighted by the greeting the Pope sent to the new and old readers. It is actually a look of sympathy that in this way Benedict XVI and "L’Osservatore Romano" gave to the six million Catholics living in Kerala, the Indian state where the official language is Malayalam and the devotees of the Church of Rome amount to one fifth of the population". (continued)
