David Willey, BBC Veteran Vatican Correspondent, Dies at 93


David Willey, celebrated BBC foreign correspondent, passed away in Italy at the age of 93. A career that stretched over seven decades, he reported from Algeria, Vietnam, China and most famously Rome, covering the papacies of five popes.


Willey began with Reuters, witnessing the 1957 Treaty of Rome that laid the groundwork for the European Union. His expertise in Vatican affairs earned him an OBE for services to broadcast journalism.


He remained professionally active well into his nineties, publishing reflections on the Vatican’s evolution after Pope Francis’ death in 2023. A notable book, *The Promise of Francis*, was presented to the pontiff in 2016.


Willey’s reporting spanned the 1981 assassination attempt on John Paul II and continued through the elections of successive popes. His legacy is etched into the journalistic chronicles of the Vatican.


He died of heart failure in his adopted homeland, Italy, leaving a trail of commendable work and generosity for future journalists.


David Willey with Pope John Paul II during a flight from Bulgaria to Rome

Image sourced from BBC News archive.


Pope Francis receiving the book written by David Willey

Courtesy of Osservatore Romano.