Vatican Diplomacy and the Venezuelan Electoral Crisis in L'Osservatore Romano (2018 - 2024)

Vatican diplomacy is among the oldest globally, a status owed partly to the papal leadership's historical role in conflict resolution that reaches beyond religious matters. The Venezuelan crisis intensified when the international community refused to recognize the 2018 election results, which became even more severe in 2024. In this context, this study examines L'Osservatore Romano's coverage by comparing journalistic approaches in 2018 and 2024, focusing on the election quarter. The analysis draws from 85 editions of the daily Italian version. Through a statistical-descriptive method, the study reviews categories such as topics covered (national politics, international politics, humanitarian issues, economy, events, culture, episcopate, and pope); page number; location; timing and frequency of news items; and the use of photographs. Because this research is part of a broader project, only partial results are presented. Notably, 52% of articles appeared in 2018 and 48% in 2024. While international politics coverage remained steady across both years, 2024 coverage of humanitarian issues decreased, and articles on national politics rose by 46%. These results suggest a decline in Venezuela coverage, indicating a shift in the handling of information and perceptions of the crisis’s urgency and impact on global geopolitics.