Joaquin Navarro Valls

Interview

• "The Internet and religious communication" (Rome, 08 april 1997)

Biography

Born in Cartagena, Spain, on 16 November 1936, he studied at the Universities of Granada, Navarra and Barcelona, obtaining degrees in Medicine in 1961, Journalism in 1968 and Communication Sciences in 1980. Currently director of the Press Office for the Holy See, he was Assistant Professor of Medicine from 1962 to 1964, then a member of the Board of Directors for Foreign Press in Italy, and President of the Association of Foreign Press in Italy. He was founder and Vice-President of the magazine Diagonal, Barcelona 1964 and then foreign correspondent for Nuestro Tiempo. Since 1977 he has been foreign correspondent for the Madrid daily newspaper A B C for Italy and the Eastern Mediterranean.

He was a member of the Vatican Delegation at the international conferences of the United Nations in Cairo (1994), Copenhagen (1995), Beijing (1995) and Istanbul (1996). Since 1996 he has been chairman of the Board of Directors of the "Maruzza Lefebvre d'Ovidio Foundation" for terminal cancer patients. Among the awards he has received are the "Leader d'Opinione" Award for Journalism, 1980; the "Calabria" Award for Foreign Correspondence in 1984; the "Laurel 1985 " Award from the Press Association, Murcia; the "Ischia" International Award for Journalism, 1985 and the "Communicator of the Year" award from Telecom Italia.

He has received many honours including: Encomienda de la Orden del Mérito Civil, Spagna, 1983; Grosse Silberne Ehrenzeichen fur Verdiente um die Republick Osterreich, 1987; Commendatore nell'Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana, 1989; Commander of the Order of the Pole Star, granted by the King of Sweden, 1992; Gran Oficial de la Orden Bernardo O'Higgins' of the Republic of Chile 1993; Grande Ufficiale nell'Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana,1993; Gran Cruz de la Orden Nacional al Mérito, Paraguay, 1995; Gran Cruz de la Orden al Mérito Civil, Spagna, 1997; Gran Oficial de la 'Orden del Libertador San Martìn', Argentina, 1997.

Bibliography

Among his publications:

• La familia y la educaciòn, Caracas, 1978.
• Fumata blanca, Madrid, 1978.
• La familia y el mundo actual, Barcelona, 1976.
• La manipulaciòn publicitaria, Barcelon, 1970.