Hey "Taliban Catholic" Bloggers!! Come to the *Other* Rome Catholic Blognic

Do you have a blog on which you write about Catholic stuff?

Do you read Catholic blogs?

Do you comment on Catholic blogs?

Are you planning on going to Rome for the Beatification of John Paul II?

Are you pretty sure you're not going to get invited to the Vatican's blognic?

Come to the *other* Catholic blogger Rome blognic...

""How the blogs and 'new media' are shaping the New Evangelisation""

and talk about what *YOU* want to talk about...

Unlike the Vatican's, ours will have beer...

AND pizza...

AND we'll let you come in your pyjamas if you want.

Tell your bloggy friends and enemies.

When?
May 3rd, 2011, 1-5 pm (for Europeans, that's 13:00-17:00)

Where?
We're still in the process of organising this (since we just dreamed it up on Friday). More details about location will follow, but right now we're looking at a very central venue, Scholar's Lounge Pub, the home of the Rome Pub Quiz, which is on all the Centro's bus and tram routes. So it will be an easy access to wherever you'll be camping for the Beatification.

Things we do know:

1) you will be allowed to talk about whatever YOU want

2) No Vatican prelate will engage you in a meaningful dialogue

3) the talks will all be in English

4) all the cool kids will be there

For now, the plan is to have two formal "talks," in the style of Theology on Tap: a keynote and a panel. We'll discuss the general state of things, the impact of the "new media" on the Church at the local and international level, the contributions of bloggers to the various Catholic public debates etc (see topic suggestions below).

The rest of the time will be in "small breakout discussion groups" (IOW, sitting around in the pub drinking and talking).

Also, we're going to do our best to get Wifi so you can liveblog it, and we can maybe set up some Skype calls or iChat thingies for people whose bodies can't make it so at least their heads can be there. And we'll see what we can do about getting the thing on video so it can go up on YouTube.

AND, if all goes as planned, there will be discounts for drinks for those who are registered before the event.

"Sounds GREAT! Where do I sign up?"

Are you on Facebook? look for "The *Other* Rome Catholic Blognic" on the facebook search and sign on. Leave a note on the Wall giving a link to your blog, (or to the blogs where you most often make a pest of yourself in the commbox). It's that simple.

Or, you can just send me a link to your blog in the commbox below, by email or by a message on Facebook and I will put you on the list.

Sounds GREAT! What can I do to help put it together?

First, thing to do, is cut and paste this post into your blog (or other new media thingy) and start drumming up interest.

Next, think of three or more Catholic bloggers who fit the following criteria:

1) is likely to be described, in the immortal words of John Allen and at least one influential cleric, as "Taliban Catholics"

2) blogs about Catholic stuff

3) is likely to be in Rome for the Beatification anyway

...and invite them to join this facebook event page.

Next, suggest topics you'd like to hear talked about. So far we've had:

1) Whatever the hell we damn well want to talk about

2) "blogging until something happens"
- the intolerable silence of injustice has been disturbed and even destroyed
- the power of the blogs efforts in transparency and accountability

3) "I am not alone"
- isolationism and the iconoclasm

4) Why is the Catholic bloggosphere so nearly uniformly "conservative," pro-Benedict and, above all, young?

5) Are we really "making a difference" or is it really all just narcissism?

6) exchanging stories: how have Catholic blogs, websites and "new media" actually made a concrete difference to the Church or to real people?

...

UPDATE:

Bloggers (and Catholic "New Media" people) I've invited

Jeff Miller, the Curt Jester
the "Seraphic" Dorothy Cummings McLean
Elizabeth Scalia, the Anchoress
Michael Voris
Fr. Tim "Hermeneutic of Continuity" Finigan
John "Orbis Catholicus Secundus" Sonnen
Deal Hudson
Fr. John Zuhlsdorf
Anthony Ozimic and John Smeaton of SPUC
Chris Gillibrand of Catholic Church Conservation
The "Dyspeptic" Dale Price
Gregory DiPippo, Gregor Kollmorgen and Shawn Tribe of New Liturgical Movement
Andrew Cusack of Andrew Cusack
Fellow former League of Evil Traditionalists:
Mary "Against All Heresies" Alexander
Steve Skojec and Nick Trandem (who no longer blog)
Fr. Philip "Da Mihi hanc aquam" Powell
Oliver McCarthy, who seems to have locked everyone out of his blog
Sean Taylor, also known as Binky the Webelf
Deborah Gyapong who I sometimes forget isn't Catholic (quite yet)
Fr. John "Veritas in Caritate" Boyle
Thomas Peters the American Papist
John Allen (maybe he can tell us what, exactly, constitutes a "Taliban Catholic")
Creative Minority Report
Rorate Caeli
Mulier Fortis who I see has kindly given us a link
Robert "Love Undefiled" Colquhoun