Digital Religion III: The Virtual God

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.