Bloggers invited to Rome

They didn’t send us a personal invitation, but I’m sure this open invitation applies to Pray Tell too:

The Vatican is opening a new avenue for dialogue, this time with Catholic bloggers.

The pontifical councils for culture and for social communications are inviting bloggers to the Vatican May 2 so the Vatican can “listen to the experiences of those who are actively involved in this arena” and “achieve a greater understanding of the needs of that community,” said a press release sent out this morning.

You have to pay your own way. Pray Tell is getting over 4,000 unique visitors on most days. So if each visitor to this site contributed just one dollar and if…

Never mind.

awr

Posted

April 8, 2011

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20 responses to “Bloggers invited to Rome”

Samuel J. Howard

April 8, 2011

The “open invitation” link doesn’t work.

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Jeffrey Herbert

April 8, 2011

Well, that’s not exactly being “open”, is it?

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Anthony Ruff, OSB

April 8, 2011

It’s either a sinister Vatican plot… or else your editor can’t figure out the technology of linking. 🙂

Thanks for the prod, Samual and Jeffrey. It’s fixed now.

awr

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Anne Mullen

April 8, 2011

Huh? Why would bloggers have to go to Rome for a meeting?
Does the Vatican understand how the internet works?

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Halbert Weidner

April 8, 2011

It would be quite a study to know the origin of this invitation and which bloggers will attend.

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Scott Pluff

April 8, 2011

Would you like to go, Anthony? I think your readers would support a fund drive. You’re one of the few major blogs that doesn’t ask for donations, but you could.

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1. Anthony Ruff, OSB
  
  April 8, 2011
  
  Uh, no, but thanks. I don’t think we do fundraising for this.
  awr
  
  Reply
  1. Claire Mathieu
    
    April 8, 2011
    
    You could have a one-time fund drive to pay for a systems assistant to do the changes to your web site that would be most useful. I am sure that by now you have a list of things that you wish could be done automatically…
  2. Ceile De
    
    April 8, 2011
    
    But what does the prayer really say? 😉
  3. Chris Grady
    
    April 9, 2011
    
    It would be much cheaper to send Father Z – he’s already a priest of a Roman suburbicarian diocese, right?
Peter Haydon

April 8, 2011

When publication of ideas required the use of print the principal organs for Catholic publication were susceptible to official influence or control. Blogging adds a more anarchic form of spreading ideas.
Those who run popular blogs gain power to influence and thus responsibility to spread the faith accurately.
The Vatican website and information office do not seem to have been effective. So bloggers can offer advice and guidance as well as opening channels with officials of the church. Whilst discussion can inform and educate we ought to try to hold the church together and not tear it apart.

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Paul Inwood

April 8, 2011

The typical Roman conference or meeting consists in people standing up and reading pre-prepared speeches or statements. Very little or no dialogue or debate. It would be interesting to see if this one was any different, given that on the one hand blogs are often full of debate of a kind but, on the other, bloggers and blog inhabitants make lots of statements and don’t always listen to each other..

My impression is that Pray Tell is one of the few blogs where real dialogue takes place.

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1. Michael Barnett
  
  April 8, 2011
  
  Real dialogue? Most of the time I can’t get Fr. Ruff to condescend to even respond to my points.
  
  Reply
  1. Elias Nasser
    
    April 8, 2011
    
    Why do you need Fr Ruff to respond?
    
    Do others not enter into a dialogue (assuming that the points you make in your contribution merit a response)?
  2. Jeremy Stevens
    
    April 9, 2011
    
    On the other hand, Fr Ruff doesn’t weed out and electronically band people who challenge his ideas, or ask you to pay for his birdseed or buy him Missals, CDs, etc etc.
    
    And speaking of “that other blog,” read his rant on this Maryknoll priest that begins with a sneer about his military service. That’s rich coming from someone whose freedom of religion is thanks to the faithful service of those who have defended this country. Whatever one thinks of another person’s political or theological opinions, one had best go easy on the criticism of those who are out there walking the walk while your home pairing expensive wines to gourmet meals and waiting for the UPS truck to deliver free gifts from the adoring laity. Geeesh.
  3. Samuel J. Howard
    
    April 10, 2011
    
    There’s a certain irony in your complaining about sneering Jeremy.
Gerard Flynn

April 9, 2011

I wonder is this invitation of the same kind as that offered to Fr Jan Hus to the Council of Constance in 1415?

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Chris Grady

April 10, 2011

Samuel J. Howard :
There’s a certain irony in your complaining about sneering Jeremy.

Well don’t you do it ever then, will you, Princess, or we’ll be seeing hypocrisy added to irony.

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Chris Grady

April 10, 2011

I realise this is uncharacteristically on-topic for a string on this blog that’s been going this long (and not wandered into the sexual proclivities of cappa magna fanciers or the pros and cons of different bible translations), but I just had a vision: Rocco Palmo, John Zoolsdork, Damian Thompson, Guy Selvester and Anthony Ruff all arrive for the blogger meeting and find the Holy See has them sharing a dorm . . .

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Charles Culbreth

April 11, 2011

Oh, chill pills for everyone, on me.
There is only one blogger that we should all sponsor yesterday to get her to Rome prontissimo, the one and only Carolina Cannonball Kat H. from the Crescat.
If Paul is right about these Vatican junkets, Kat will be the only person there with a legit reason- to get all up close and personal with the Swiss Guard. Not “a” Swiss Guard, mind yer, “the” Swiss Guard.
I find that a noble and laudible rationale.

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