Liturgia w mediach
Liturgy in the media

Summary/Abstract: In the last hundred of years, a great development of radio, television and new dynamics of multimedia communications resulting from modern information technology (eg. Internet) has been taking place. It formulates a major theological question – whether the participation in the liturgy of people connecting to the celebration through the media is the same as a direct presence in the church. The reception of the physical dimension of the liturgy is done by human senses which are also able to receive stimuli generated by the technical devices imitating real impulses. On this background, there are two questions asked: Shall the electronic intermediataion be regarded as the real participation in liturgical celebration? And why has this form of participation a different value? The Church recognizes it to be obtained as some act of God’s grace due to the media, however, no men should participate in sacraments in this way. Thus, in the Church documents there are indications concerning the celebration of the liturgy, when the transmission takes place. Nevertheless, some theologians (Pinsk, Rahner) generally questioned the transmissions of the liturgy basing on its personalistic nature and the respect for arcani diciplinae. Due to the inadequacy of the concept “to hear Holy Mass”, Sacrosanctum Concilium emphasized the principle of actuosa participatio. Hence, the need for the direct presence in the liturgy according to its salvific nature is connected with its personal and ecclesial nature. Moreover, the idea of celebrating the liturgy through the media was also rejected in Protestant churches. It can be stated that the virtual space only gives a substitute of the real participation in the liturgy of sacraments. Therefore, the Church points out the need to transfer the community out from the cyberspace to the real true religious community. Hence, there is the need for liturgical formation of both celebrants and media directors.

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