Catholic Press

A Church press prominently doctrinaire (sometimes even proselytic), is joined by another one, aiming for cultural, academic goals and scientific investigation, etc. and yet by another one of dissemination of religious activities. Some publications are propriety of the Church, others are property of another bodies connected to it, and another ones are held by Catholics.

The Church is the owner of Rádio Renascença, with several radio stations, almost three dozens of local radio stations, many of them members of ARIC – Associação de Rádios de Inspiração Cristã (Association of Radio Stations with Christian Inspiration). Although some of them are not propriety of the Church per say, they are, however, strictly connected to it. It is also worth mentioning its propriety of more than three and a half dozens of bookstores, one and half dozen of publishers and a similar number of printing companies.

The regional Church press, namely the weekly press, assumes a crucial importance in the context of the Portuguese regional press. Despite the differences, such publications have common and defining characteristics, such as the fact that they do not have a financial objective as a priority; they are, for the most part, run by priests; and a significant part of their editorial staff is constituted by men, many of them holders of a higher education; they are almost integrally sold by subscription, and they have a strong tendency to ignore “marketing” and minimise “design.”