With each new advance in technology, the Church has a choice whether it will adapt and flourish or whether it will get stuck behind. While the core of the Church’s identity remains the same and her doctrines do not change, the manner in which she communicates these unchanging truths adapts to the circumstances of the time.

 

The Church had to adapt to the printing press and to social media. The next step is Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and the Metaverse. Fr Ian VanHeusen has established MetaCatholic to meet this demand. We will be creating Metaverse Content and Spaces to bring the Gospel to this new field. We will also be providing educational resources to help parents navigate this new technology and the risks that they bring.

 

“The question is not if this technology will be coming or not, but how will the Catholic Church respond to evangelize in this new space. There will be many dangers with the coming Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality technologies and there will also be many great opportunities. In terms of the danger, we must provide solid catechesis and ethical training to help protect people, especially the poor who have been most negatively impacted by new technologies. In terms of the benefits, we must be ready to fill these spaces with goodness, truth, and beauty because it leads to Jesus Christ and it is vital for the common good.”