HUNGARY: XII ECIC MEETING, CHRISTIAN CHURCH AND INTERNET WEBMASTERS

The XII meeting of ECIC (www.ecic.org), the Conference of webmasters belonging to several European Christian Churches is closing today in Revfulop (Hungary), a small bathing resort by the shore of Lake Balaton. The point at issue – "The church 2.0, an environment for interaction and integration" – stimulated reflection and debate on the relationship between the new Internet frontier, that is, the so-called web 2.0 (also called "semantic" or intelligent web) and the pastoral service carried out through the web. "Our most important goal – said Father Franco Mazza, vice president of ECIC – is not looking for new platforms and technologies to reach as many people as possible. We rather intend to take care of the life and the deep questions of a person. Therefore, we also take care of his relationship with the new media. I think it is important to listen to the changing world and to a society generating new lifestyles". The participants in the event, which started on Saturday 16, were about thirty. Most of them came from the Evangelic Churches of Northern Europe.