Technological evolution has redefined spaces and methods of communication also within the Catholic Church. The speed of information exchange, the possibility of reaching a large number of recipients, and the absence of costs represent the advantages of online communication. The diffusion of information and communication technology (ICT) involved also the publication of canon laws and it asks about the possibility of using the internet as a way of promulgating the law. The characteristics of the network make it possible to know the text faster than the printed one and its diffusion does not meet space limits, since the published norm reaches every territory, thus becoming binding. The restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic have further favored the spread of instruments of digital communication. In this perspective, online promulgation could constitute a solution to the limits of canonical legislative governance, allowing the diffusion of legal texts, the relative knowledge, and obligation.
TopThe powerful outbreak of technological innovation has determined a deep paradigm shift in people’s life (Harari, 2018), involving all social areas (Fuccillo, 2021; Pacillo, 2021; Bennato, 2020; Fioravanti, 2019; Cipriani, Et Al. 2018; Mazzocchi, et al., 2017; Virone, 2012; Ciotti & Roncaglia, 2010; Di Donato, 2009; Bauman, 2008) .
Such dynamics has involved also religious matters (Fuccillo, 2019; Vitullo, 2014), causing a series of effects on religious rights (Silvestri, 2010; Pedullà, 2012).
Within the confessional landscape, the Catholic Church makes use with increasing frequency of the new social communication tools, through which it actively operates in a series of areas connected to the munus docendi and also munus regendi, among which, for example, the diplomatic activity of the Holy See (Valentan. 2019).
In addition to the establishment of diocesan and parish websites1, there has been also a significant growth in the creation of blogs dedicated to debates on faith2, of portals such as Pope2You, founded in 2009 by the Pontifical Council for Social Communication to foster communication between the Pope Benedict XVI and the youth around the world (Ambrosi, 2011). On this matter, another example could be the association WeCa Web Cattolici, which offers the expertise of its members for Catholic-inspired websites, promoting the training of Catholic webmasters and fostering a constructive synergy among the new communication tools; LifePoint Church, a so-called multisite church, with a central location serving as a production centre for Church activities and for content to be distributed to various websites by video or webcast (Vitullo, 2019).
The Catholic Church has therefore understood that the use of digital tools can guarantee a more effective preservation of its functions (Perlasca, 2020) and an increase of its authority also on the web (Soukup, 2017). Thanks to the creation of institutional sites, the faithful have the opportunity to consult official documents of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts and in general the Canon Law (http://repertoriogiuridico.chiesacattolica.it), within which the Italian Dioceses can publish their own particular legislation, making it known to the communities concerned and to the professionals.