Abstract

Sven Leo Conrad:
Medial Transmissibility and Sacramental Worldview
(FKTh 2022-4, p. 263–273)

Medial transmissibility of worship became a central issue in church life at the time of the Corona pandemic. It was unquestionably accepted that the liturgy would reach people in their homes through the various media. The article recalls an almost forgotten discussion from the 1950s, where philosophers and theologians of various persuasions such as Josef Pieper and  Karl Rahner argued vehemently against the broadcasting of church services. The argumentation of that time is continued and it is  shown that a sacramental world view and a  cosmic understanding of the liturgy cannot  be reconciled with the means of technology, among other things because the individuals in front of the screens cannot form a holy assembly and thus also an image for the church and the necessary step from the profane to the sacred simply cannot be taken through the media. The contribution is a lecture written by the author for the “Association of St. Benedict, Patron of Europe” for the annual congress  2022 in Kergonan Abbey (France).