9 January, 2008...5:57 pm
Catholic New Media?
While reading the Code of Canon Law (1983) this afternoon (as you do), I stumbled across this:
Can. 216 Since they participate in the mission of the Church, all the Christian faithful have the right to promote or sustain apostolic action even by their own undertakings, according to their own state and condition. Nevertheless, no undertaking is to claim the name Catholic without the consent of competent ecclesiastical authority.
Does that mean I have to change my name to Bob not-official-Catholic? Maybe that can be my new middle name?
I think a serious discussion of Can. 216 is needed. My concerns over New Media and Amateur Catholic apologists use of term Catholic may already be covered by this Canon. What is needed is a process for consent of competent ecclesiastical authority for the term in connection to podcasts and maybe even blogs. (With, of course, a badge to put on your blog!) I wonder, however, how many of Christ’s faithful who podcast or blog are aware of Can. 216?
8 Comments
10 January, 2008 at 5:51 am
Ok Bob, now you made me feel guilty. Ordinarily a person would be mad at you, however being and Irish American Cradle Catholic, I wanted to thank you, since I had felt guilty all day today.
I have changed my web page to reflect canon 216. I placed an * with a disclaimer.
I hope you can rest easier, while I have removed the quilt. Althought I’ll try and milk it by a strick interpretation of not removing the term from my web page altogether;>)
10 January, 2008 at 5:55 am
P.S. please change your side bar “Catholic blogs” I think perhaps you may be in violation of Canon 216. Have you ever read it?
Actually I have been aware of the canon, but as I understood the canon it was when one claimed authority to teach with the authority that the Catholic churh claims [based on the term “promote or sustain apostolic action”.
10 January, 2008 at 9:20 am
Okay, it is hot, I am cranky already and have not had my morning coffee yet but I’ll bite: :D
The issue is not, per se, the term Catholic in the title of a blog or podcast (although I am undecided about that second one). After all, this blog (with its many failings) is Catholic in the sense that the author is a Catholic. The issue, me thinks, in the context of this Canon is New Media that claims to give the Catholic answer or that offers Catholic apologetics or is a course on Catholic theology. In other words, any New Media which speaks on behalf of the Church either tacitly or explicitly. Any New Media which is intended to be used for Catholic education is also, me thinks, covered by this Canon.
Now, coffee!
10 January, 2008 at 10:32 am
I think you make a good distinction here, Bob, between acknowledging that the opinions expressed are the opinion OF a Catholic, rather than claiming to be the official teaching of the Catholic Church.
Terms like “Catholic culture” and “Catholic ethos” which are used more often than I’d like are slippery and almost meaningless since they could refer to the so called ‘culture’ or ethos of any person or group which are Catholic.
27 January, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Well I hope this doesn’t get burried, but Bob must have pull with the pope. Obiviously a close confident.
Pope proposes creation of ‘info-ethics’ for media
http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=14007
12 March, 2008 at 9:21 am
[...] Imprimatur for New Media Catholic New Media? [...]
27 May, 2008 at 11:42 pm
The competent ecclesiastical continues to allow Catholic University the title of ‘Catholic’. It is clear the USCCB is not all that interested in the ‘big fish’, I can’t believe that they will take much of an interest in trying to read all Catholic blogs and listen to all Catholic podcasts.
Relax folks. Enjoy your blogs and podcasts. If you find someone has departed from the authentic Catholic teaching either send the author an email or stop reading/listening to the blog/podcast.
28 May, 2008 at 9:26 am
Ok, Michael, this topic is long dead but I’ll bite.
a) No Catholic Universities in Australia. But people do not generally go to a University to find out the basics of the Faith. A university (or even Catholic School) is not the first port of call for an inquirer. They are usually at a University or School for another reason.
b) People do google “Catholic” when they are interested in finding out more about the Faith. The internet provides privacy and hence gives an opportunity to explore the Faith at home. They stumble upon various blogs, podcasts, websites that claim to have the Catholic point of view on issues.
People in b) above are my concern. How do these people know authentic Catholic teaching? In the past, books with imprimatur gave that guarantee - what guarantee do I get from a blog or podcast?
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