TWELVE YEARS OF FLIGHT FROM THE ISLAND OF PATMOS. AN EDITORIAL COMMUNITY THAT CONTINUES TO PUT ITS FACE TO US, FAITH AND REASON

In a time when anonymity and fictitious identities increasingly dominate public debate, we continue to sign what we write, taking personal responsibility for our words and offering Readers not what they want to hear, but what we believe, in conscience, worthy of being said and written.

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Twelve years have passed of when, the 19 October 2014, the webmaster Manuela Luzzardi put the website of the magazine L'Isola di Patmos online, designed by herself, built and still maintained today. It might seem like a short time, but in the world of digital information, where many projects are born and disappear even in a few months, represents a considerable amount of time. Our social manager, Capon flower, which has been operating in the sector for over thirty years, he reminded us several times that the average lifespan of a website is a few years and that those that exceed a decade of life are very few indeed.

The photograph that accompanies these lines it portrays us in aviators' uniforms like a crew in front of a plane. No crew flies thanks to a single pilot; every journey is possible if everyone carries out their task responsibly. This is how the magazine L'Isola di Patmos was born and still lives today: not like someone's personal blog, but as an editorial community made up of priests, religious and lay collaborators who have chosen to put their face next to their name and take personal responsibility for what they write (cf.. who).

We live in a time in which public debate, especially on social networks, is increasingly entrusted to anonymous profiles, fictitious identities, pseudonyms behind which it becomes easy to insult, insinuate or distort reality without taking any responsibility. We have chosen the opposite path: each article bears the name of its author, this means that the Readers know who is speaking, what training he has and what ministry he carries out. The managing director is a member of the Journalists' Association and the magazine is registered with the territorial court, every published content is attributable to precise personal and legal responsibilities.

This way of acting has contributed to building a legacy of credibility that does not derive from proclaimed authority, but from the continuity of the work carried out. In twelve years The Island of Patmos has published hundreds of articles, theological studies, historical insights, ecclesial reflections, translations, reviews and various volumes published by us Editions. We have never chased the sensational news, nor did the traffic of visits increase with clerical gossip, because this is the sad panorama of certain blogs that continue to define themselves “Catholics” both in the so-called traditionalist area, both in the so-called progressive area.

We tried to offer a space where it was still possible to argue, documentation, to distinguish, deepen. In a time in which instinctive reactions and high subjective emotions often prevail “dogma”, we preferred reasoning; where the slogan dominates, the argument; where many chase immediate consensus, we considered it more important to preserve the freedom to say what we believed to be true and right, even when it might be inconvenient.

For twelve years all the authors of the Island of Patmos they provide their work free of charge, no one receives compensation for editorial work, almost always very demanding. Our work is free, but unfortunately the tools that allow the Journal to exist are not. At the end of the summer we will have to face the renewal of the annual management costs of the site: the only dedicated server, hosted in a secure infrastructure capable of holding approx 40 million visits per year (statistical data for the year 2025), together with editorial services, graphics and essential subscriptions involves a cost of approximately 5.800 Euro. Added to this is the reimbursement of expenses incurred by the technician who takes care of the updates, routine maintenance and IT security, equal to approximately 3.600 euros per year, all for a total cost of approximately 10.000 Euro.

Repeatedly, During the years, we feared having to interrupt this editorial experience. We managed to avoid it because, as well as offering our work for free, we have often personally supported part of the expenses necessary to keep the magazine active, not always entirely covered by readers' free donations, to whom we do not continuously ask for support: we only do it once a year, when the month in which we have to face the renewal of management expenses approaches.

The Internet can give the impression that everything is free, but it is not so: Behind every professional site there is infrastructure, services, maintenance, security and skills that have a real cost. Therefore, every contribution, whether small or big, it will help us cover the living expenses of management and will allow this magazine to continue its flight in the years to come.

In these twelve years we didn't try to build a community of followers, but a community of Readers. The difference is substantial: the follower adheres to a person, the Reader evaluates ideas. This is why we have always preferred to be challenged with arguments rather than applauded for belonging.

A theological-pastoral magazine it shouldn't create fans, but contribute to forming free consciences, capable of thinking, distinguish e, when necessary, also disagree. If in recent years we have managed at least partially to achieve this objective, the credit also belongs to our Readers, who often corrected us, interrogated, criticized and forced to further delve into what we had written. This is why we want to continue to offer not what the public wants to hear, but what we believe, in conscience, worthy of being said and written, as true.

Protector and patron of our magazine is Saint John the Evangelist, who reports these words of Jesus in his Gospel: "You will know the truth and the truth will make you free" (GV 8,32).

We trust in your help.

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