23.03.2021

Digital Religion III: The Virtual God

The Church in the (Post-)Corona Age

  • Deutsch
  • English
  • Italiano
  • Date: 23.03.2021, 14.00 - 17.15 CET
  • Place: Zoom
  • Typology: Online Conference
  • Info:

    Videos: YouTube

For millennia, religion and spirituality have offered support and refuge in uncertain times. But how to access religious offerings in the midst of the Covid 19 pandemic and while maintaining social distance. New media and the internet offer unconventional ways of digital pastoral care. How the churches can fully exploit the potential of the new technologies and deal with increasing digitalisation is the topic of an international conference organised by Eurac Research in cooperation with the Diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone on 23 March 2021 on Zoom. The event will begin at 2 pm.

Within a few weeks, the pandemic forced all church institutions to rethink creatively. In view of closed places of worship and restrictions on daily life, it was necessary to find new ways to continue to support the faithful and accompany them through the crisis. The internet and social media played a crucial role.

What effects on religious practices and church power structures of different denominations can be expected from this sudden surge of digitalisation? What is the significance of the (digital) church in a society characterised by fear and insecurity due to Covid-19? How can traditional religions harness the possibilities of technology in a sustainable way? Having overcome the crisis, will a renewed church help shape the future of our society? Experts from religion and science will discuss this at the invitation of the Center for Advanced Studies of Eurac Research in cooperation with the Diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone.

The conference "The Virtual God - The Church in the (Post-)Corona Age" is already the third conference to address the topic of "Digitalisation and Spirituality" - this time with a clear focus on digital pastoral care in South Tyrol. During the conference, researchers from the Center for Advanced Studies will namely present a current study for which priests and parish councils throughout South Tyrol were surveyed on pastoral care and priestly work and on the use of digital media during the pandemic.

Program

14.00 | Welcome (DE) Roland Psenner, President Eurac Research, BZ

Introduction (DE) Harald Pechlaner, Center for Advanced Studies, Eurac Research, BZ

14.15 | Pastoral Care in Times of Covid-19. The South Tyrol Study (IT/DE) Giulia Isetti, Harald Pechlaner, Michael de Rachewiltz, Maximilian Walder, Center for Advanced Studies, Eurac Research, Bozen

14.35 | Authenticity, Materiality and Digital Religion: Online Prayers and Virtual Functions (IT) Giulia Evolvi, Institute for Media and Communication, Erasmus University Rotterdam

14.50 | Moderated discussion (IT/DE)

  • Giulia Evolvi, Institute for Media and Communication, Erasmus University Rotterdam

  • Wolfgang Beck, Pastoral Theology and Homiletics, PTH Sankt Georgen, Frankfurt am Main

15.20 | Coffee break

16.00 | Digital ecclesiogenesis as a serious case and learning field for processes of church development (DE) Wolfgang Beck, Pastoral Theology and Homiletics, PTH Sankt Georgen, Frankfurt am Main

16.15 | The Catholic Church and the challenge of the pandemic (IT) Marco Marzano, Faculty of Humanities, Philosophy and Communication, University of Bergamo

16.35 | Panel discussion (IT/DE)

  • Pavel Ambros, Faculty of Theology of St. Cyril and Methodius, Palacký University Olomouc

  • Wolfgang Prader, President of the Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Italy

  • Ivo Muser, Bishop of the Diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone

17.15 | Closing of the conference

Registration

Registration is open until Saturday, 20 March 2020 at the following link: https://scientificnet.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcld-CtrDosGND5SGaa6VCdfHhzm5TRNvim

Follow up

You can find the follow-up report on the conference HERE.

Organisation

Eurac Research
Center for Advanced Studies
Drususallee 1 / Viale Druso 1
39100 Bozen / Bolzano
T +39 0471 055 801
advanced.studies@eurac.edu

Diözese Bozen-Brixen | Diocesi di Bolzano-Bressanone
Domplatz 2 / Piazza Duomo 2
39100 Bozen / Bolzano
T +39 0471 306 200
info@bz-bx.net

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