Individuals—whether religious bloggers or a cleric—will not have access to .catholic, according to Monsignor Paul Tighe, secretary of the Vatican's social communications council.

The extension will be reserved for church institutions such as dioceses, parishes, religious orders, schools, universities or hospitals. Use of the domain, Tighe said, will be a guarantee that a site is "authentically Catholic."

"The domain will create a cohesive and organized [Web] presence ... so the recognized structure of the church will be mirrored online," he said, according to Italian media reports. Read more

A report by UCA News said the bloggers were charged with spreading anti-government propaganda under Article 88 of the country's criminal code.

The three are founding members of the Free Journalist Club, an organization not recognized as an official body by the government.

Nguyen Van Hai and Marie Ta Phong Tan received sentences of 12 years and 10 years, respectively, with five additional years of house arrest, while Phan Thanh Hai received a four-year sentence and three years of house arrest, the report said.

State media reports said Phan Thanh Hai had "pleaded guilty and asked for a lenient sentence," while the two other defendants "obstinately" denied the charges against them.

The United States embassy in Hanoi expressed concern over the decision, saying the decision is "inconsistent with Vietnam's obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights relating to freedom of expression and due process."

Local blogs reported that an estimated 400 security officials blocked access to the court and confiscated cameras and mobile phones from bystanders who attempted to take photos.

Sources

• UCA News
• AP/The Wall Street Journal
• Image: AFP/Getty Images

Vatican Radio outlines the purpose of the meeting

• to listen to the experiences of those who are actively involved in this arena,
• to achieve a greater understanding of the needs of that community,
• to allow the Church representatives to present some of its initiatives to engage with new media.

The Vatican's invitation is extended to all, not just Catholic bloggers, and according to Vatican Radio, hundreds have already applied.

Those who apply first will be given priority. However with only 150 seats available in the conference hall, and the Vatican's preference for geographical diversity and a mix of languages, some choices will have to be made.

"One of the things we are a little bit aware of is that sometimes the Catholic blogosphere can become a bit of a ghetto...rather than engaging in the world outside," says Dr. Richard Rouse, an official at the Pontifical Council for Culture.

"If we look today where culture is strongly formed and shaped, it's the blogosphere. Bloggers have an enormous influence, ties an important community, its an important category, so its right that there to be a meeting of bloggers within the Church in order for the Church to take account of this reality, to dialogue with it, to listen to it, to listen to it, to be aware of it," Rouse said.

He told Vatican Radio "it is not a meeting which intends to propose writing rules for bloggers, its not a meeting in which we are going to tell people how to blog properly, it's just a very simple encounter, a first step along a road of dialogue in which we seek to know each other better."

When asked if he thought there are risks associated with such an initiative, Dr. Rouse said he knew the meeting could be different than others hosted at the Vatican.

"Certainly we are aware that a blog meeting can sometimes be a blog-fest and sometimes it can be a blog-fight," he said. "We are aware of that, but our intention here...is to start to engage in a first step with Catholic bloggers. Further on down the line, I'm sure we will be able to articulate a more fulsome pastoral response to the reality, but first steps at a time."

The Vatican sees an important dimension of the meeting is to allow an opportunity for informal exchange between participants and hopes this initiative will open up further avenues of interaction.

Among those Vatican officials participating at the meeting will be Cardinal Ravasi of the Pontifical Council for Culture, Archbishop Celli of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and Father Lombardi of the Vatican's Press Office and Vatican Radio.

The meeting, scheduled for May 2, and seeks to build on the momentum of the May 1 beatification of John Paul II.

Source

• Vatican Radio
• Catholic Culture
• Image: Cyberteologia