After the quest by credit card and the contactless font, the Catholic Church is about to embark on the metaverse as well as the world of NFTs. If virtual reality is not to everyone’s taste, the idea of attending a Sunday religious service using a VR headset convinced the sovereign pontiff. Thus, the Vatican announced on May 5 the possibility for all citizens of the world to discover the heritage of the Holy See in virtual reality, in the metaverse.
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A virtual gallery to democratize art, manuscripts and other objects held by the Vatican
A virtual gallery will be put online later this year. The project is a collaboration between Sensorium, a virtual reality company, and Humanity 2.0, a nonprofit run by the Vatican. Chaired by Father Philippe Larrey, this NGO has a unique presence in the Holy See.
In addition, Father Larrey is a specialist in the analysis of the effects of technology on modern society, and the philosophical implications of artificial intelligence. For him, this project is an opportunity to democratize art and make it more widely accessible to people around the world, “regardless of their socio-economic and geographical limits”he detailed in a press release.
The Vatican is the repository of some of the finest works and art objects in the world. Founded in the 16th century, the small state is home to some 800 works of art, including works by Renaissance artists, such as Michelangelo and Raphael, as well as more modern works by Wassily Kandinsky or Vincent van Gogh. The works will be exhibited in the form of NFT, “non fungible tokens”. These function as certificates of authenticity based on the “blockchain”, which ensures that it is indeed a unique work. In a very short time, NFTs have become extremely popular, creating a veritable virtual art market.
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NFT, a way to make the heritage of the Church profitable?
NFTs now make it possible to own and collect digital works. The Vatican could also list its NFTs on an online marketplace, for them to be bought/sold, although the Vatican press officer claimed that they would not be used for this purpose. “The nature of this project for Humanity 2.0. is exclusively social and not commercial. Also, NFTs here do not have to come from works of art, but can also include tickets and other objects”said the representative.
Will the Catholic Church also adopt through virtual reality?
The function of this device would be to allow parishioners to consult their Catholic artistic heritage and to listen to the Gospels. Some religious people are already enthusiastic about the possibilities offered by augmented reality. During the Covid-19 crisis in particular, virtual churches have increased tenfold, allowing pastors to carry out baptisms … virtual. Other parishioners envision virtual worship services, where congregants could be guided through spiritual locations by a priest’s avatar, while listening to animated religious texts and even watching worship events unfold before their eyes.
Although it relates to another subject, this development is reminiscent of the words of Jean-Dominique Michel, who warned us about science: “If we seek above all to preserve our system of beliefs and our ideology identically against all odds, that’s how we gradually shift from reality”. Is it necessary that the digital revolution, web 3.0, apply to religion as it applies to industry or entertainment?