In a first-ever move, some 150 Catholic bloggers met at the Vatican on Monday, May 2. The event was organized by the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, and the Pontifical Council for Culture.
The Holy See announced the meeting only a few weeks ago, inviting Catholic bloggers from around the world to submit their names for consideration to attend the meeting. It was limited to 150 bloggers. More than 700 requested to participate.
The purpose of the meeting was to acknowledge the role of blogging as a modern means of social communications. The hope is that there will be some type of dialogue between church officials and the bloggers.
According to reports, most agreed that they must exercise charity in their postings and articles, and to aim for clarity. They should not be pitting liberal against conservative, and should not be fostering enemies within the Church. To do that diminishes the blog’s ability to be clear and concise.
Rocco Palmo of Philadelphia, author of “Whispers in the Loggia,” probably the most-read Catholic blog in the English language, was one of the invited bloggers, and also was invited to facilitate one of the sessions. He noted that he felt that the meeting recognized the contribution to the Church made by the bloggers.
The group noted that most bloggers are probably self-centered and their “egos” can be a problem. The group said that this needed more prayer and internal discernment, because anyone who writes a blog calling themselves Catholics must remember that the blog should focus on serving others.
Attendees went home with a sense of confidence in their relationship with the Holy See, and many said they would now try to seek dialogue with their own dioceses and bishops conferences in order to more fully participate and cooperate in the work of communication and evangelization of the Church’s teaching and mission.
The Concho Padre
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