For many Chileans who were baptized Catholics but who may not be practicing, the unraveling clerical sexual abuse crisis has become another reason to think that Friedrich Nietzsche was right: God is dead. Yet for some 10,000 Chilean believers, God is not only alive and well, but he shows up on their phones every day Read more
A feature length movie titled “Meet the Mormons” has been screening in theatres and other venues across Australia, New Zealand and several Pacific Island nations over the last few weeks. Theatres in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Rotorua, Taupo, Tokoroa, Wellington, Nelson and Christchurch screened the movie which was produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Read more
A professor in Massachusetts noticed recently that religion’s decline in America coincided with the rise of the Internet. He theorized that the two may be connected. Headline: “Is the Internet bad for religion?” It’s utter nonsense, of course. The decline of mainline churches began in 1965, not in the 1990s when the Internet became commercially Read more
iPad App, “Journey of Jesus: His First Miracle,” helps make the Gospel more accessible for kids according to app developer Brent Dusing of Lightside Games. “For children, we really want them to be exposed to the life of Jesus in a way that they can enjoy and connect with,” he told CNA recently. The app hit Read more
The revolution in communications media presents a wonderful opportunity that the Church has been slow to grasp. Until the 1990s, access to the general population through the media was controlled by the gatekeepers of newspapers, radio and television. Now this barrier has been bypassed by the new media — Internet-based, available to everyone, faster and cheaper Read more
Social Media, create a new environment and a new life style that not only requires Church presence and “use” of mass media, but “witnessing” of the Gospel in the new environment where people live. The Catholic Bishops of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands tackled the issue of new media and social networks on the Read more
Sixty percent of Pacific islanders have access to a mobile phone. Almost a million are Facebook users. As mobile phone use sweeps through the Pacific it is bringing a revolution of change in its wake. “In PNG in April social media brought together thousands of people for a political protest. Islanders have become more literate, more familiar with market prices Read more
What is it with Thailand, Apple and Buddhist temples lately? First, an abbott of the Wat Phra Dhammakaya said that Steve Jobs was kickin’ it in the afterlife as a mid-level angel with his own celestial palace. Now, a temple in Thailand’s Chom Phra district has decided that Buddha carries around an iPad with him Read more
For all Il Papa’ssocial media encouragement the last few years, the Roman Catholic Church continues to struggle with digital ministry practice, particularly where new media intersects the church’s medieval sacramental structure. In 2011, a new smartphone app aimed to support preparation for and the practice of confession ended up generating more confusion than contrition when Read more
Mike Schramm has just released a game for the iPhone, iPad mini and iPad, to the iTunes app store. It’s free and it’s called Benediction. In his own life lately, Schram says he has been dealing with some heavy stuff, that caused him to wonder what it would be like to have the powers of Read more