Cyber-theology - the spiritual value of communications technology - becomes a theological discipline

Date: July 13, 2013

Posted onJuly 10th, 2013byNicholasRosetti

ROME – There are a number of priests and famous people of the ecclesiastical world that have expressed doubts  and disapproval towards the internet. Having said this, there are many others who see the network  as a great opening. In fact, there are quite a few priests that have a face book profile, some associations and church followers  dedicated to evangelization that have bought internet domains, a number of bishops and cardinals are registered on twitter and even the Pope Francesco, in the wake of his predecessor, uses this social network.

But the person who has excelled in discovering the importance of the internet in the religious field is undoubtedly the Jesuit priest Antonio Spadaro, director of the famous and oldest Italian magazine "The Catholic Civilization".

Father Spadaro, born in 1966, originally from Messina, was the first who began to have thoughts concerning faith in times of internet, calling the neologism "cyber- theology."

Now the Gregorian University, run by the Jesuits, the same order of Father Spadaro, has taken his considerations concerning this matter quite  seriously, so much so that they invited him to run a course for the academic year 2013/2014 entitled "Cyber-theology-  the spiritual value of communications technology -: How to contemplate Christianity at times of the social network. "

The name of the course is: TF2092. Its purpose is that of preparing future priests for the challenge that the world of internet can offer.

Father Spadaro has also written a book on this topic that has already been translated into English and Portuguese and will soon be translated into French, Spanish and Polish. The announcement about his book was obviously made through his internet profile and, after just a few hours , received more than 300 congratulations and best wishes comments to which are added those of our editorial staff as well as our desire to have him as a guest in our diocese soon!