American Catholic Bloggers Meeting?

I agree with Fr. Z. and think this would be wonderful. In fact, I would hope that many of the Priest bloggers would be invited, as they are directly responding to the Holy Father's call to spread the Gospel online. Your Excellencies....?

That's me at the Vatican Blogggers Meeting last year - white shirt, bottom right corner.

The following is taken directly from Fr. Z's blog post,

US Bishops: Bloggers play ‘critical role’ in defending Church. Fr. Z makes a proposal.

Posted on 14 April 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

When the Obama Administration began to attack the 1st Amendment, Catholic bloggers rose up.

When the U.S. Bishops called for rallies for religious freedom, Catholic bloggers posted links and dates and places.

When the USCCB and Card. Dolan and Bp. Lori made statements or gave interviews, Catholic bloggers spread the word.

Catholic bloggers are to the establishment and the dissident Catholic media what talk radio and cable are to the old time news and entertainment establishment.

The great majority of Catholic bloggers would (and perhaps might have to) go to the wall for the Catholic bishops in a good cause and with good leadership.

From Life News:

US Bishops: Bloggers play ‘critical role’ in defending the Church
BY PATRICK B. CRAINE

Relations between Catholic bloggers and Church officials have at times been quitestrained as the new media has developed in the last couple years. Some prelates, clergy, and chancery officials have expressed strong reservations about the Catholic blogosphere, with some even speaking quite derogatorily. [Is that a fact?  I am willing to let bygones be bygones.]

Church leaders have been angered by the penchant of many bloggers to call them out on their failures to expound and defend controversial Catholic teachings on moral issues like contraception, homosexuality, and abortion.

The difficulties got to the point that last year the Vatican convened a special conference for bloggersto try to build bridges and learn more about this new method for advancing the Gospel.

But now even the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is saying Catholic bloggers have a “critical role” in defending the Church.

In a new statement on religious freedom released today they write:

The Catholic Church in America is blessed with an immense number of writers, producers, artists, publishers, filmmakers, and bloggers employing all the means of communications—both old and new media—to expound and teach the faith. They too have a critical role in this great struggle for religious liberty. [NB:]We call upon them to use their skills and talents in defense of our first freedom.

For a PDF of the bishops’ statement click HERE.

Okay, let’s double-down.

I, in turn, call upon the U.S. Bishops to do what the Holy See did: host a conference… call a meeting with bloggers.

I ask fellow Catholic bloggers to pick up and renew this proposal on their own blogs.  Propose that the bishops organize a blogger summit, a blogger confab, a blogger powwow, a blognic on steroids.

Do they mean it, or not?  Are Catholic bloggers valued, or not?  Are these just words?  Vapor?

Your Excellencies…

“Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. (Joel 2:15)