Assistant Bishop Benedict of Bistrița delivered a presentation on digital spirituality on Friday at the National Colloquium “Church Press at the Centennial of the Romanian Patriarchate”, held in Bucharest from February 6 to 8.
His paper, titled “Digital Spirituality – Concept and Forms of Expression: A General Overview”, explored both the opportunities and risks associated with the church’s engagement in digital media.
“Digital spirituality is an emerging trend across many religions and spiritual traditions, where individuals and faith communities intentionally use digital culture and technology to fulfill their religious and spiritual needs. From this definition, we understand that it is an experiential content disseminated through a new medium, serving humans as spiritual beings,” the bishop explained.
The Need for Prudence
Bishop Benedict emphasized the opportunities and challenges that digital tools present in church communication.
“The missionary context calls for the up-to-date use of available resources, yet with the necessary prudence to distinguish between content—whether it conveys spirituality or mere experience—as well as methodology, communication, and sharing in both church and secular media,” he stated.
“Despite visible competition, the Church is called to remain modest, sober, and elegant, but most importantly, faithful to the message of the Kingdom, without resorting to deceptive and sophisticated methods dictated by the times. We must remember that ‘the all-surpassing power is from God and not from us’ (2 Corinthians 4:7),” he concluded.
The full paper by Assistant Bishop Benedict of the Archdiocese of Vad, Feleac, and Cluj will be published in a volume following the colloquium’s conclusion.
National Church Media Colloquium
The National Colloquium “Church Press at the Centennial of the Romanian Patriarchate” was organized by Lumina Newspaper to mark its 20th anniversary of uninterrupted publication.
The event, held at the Patriarchal Palace and the Orthodox Theological Faculty in Bucharest, brought together bishops, professors, researchers, and church journalists from across the country.
The colloquium opened on Thursday with the exhibition “The Centennial of the Romanian Patriarchate: Pages from the History of Romanian Media”, hosted in the “Europa Christiana” Hall of the Patriarchal Palace. On the same occasion, the 2025 Orthodox Media Catalog was launched.
Photo: Lumina Newspaper / Luigi Ivanciu
