Digital archive on audio recordings of Popes’ voices unveiled

Vis: Entitled “The Voice of the Popes,” a digital archive containing over 8000 audio recordings featuring the voice of all the Popes from Pius XI through to present Pope Francis, was unveiled in the hall of Vatican Radio on Tuesday. The presentation comes in the run-up to the canonization ceremony for Popes John XXIII and John Paul II on April 27th.
Vatican Radio’s Director General Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi said the digitalization was carried out in order to prevent damage from wear and tear, and guarantee a better preservation of the material for posterity. The new digital system will also allow the archiving of audio material in a far more efficient and stream-lined fashion.
The digital archive was compiled using audio sources that ranged from old 78 records, magnetic tape to CDs, and includes sound from over 23,000 different events. Father Lombardi spoke of how Vatican Radio is the custodian of the voice of all the Popes, saying its mission is to preserve these recordings and ensure the Radio’s property rights are protected when the sound material is used by third parties.
Source: Vis