The Sacred and the Virtual
摘要
This chapter explores the relationship between ritual form, virtual reality, and the sacred. Pope Benedict XVI saw VR as part of daily life but not transformative of human nature or faith. While VR can simulate religious practices, it lacks the materiality, embodied presence, and sacred space required for true ritual. The sacred cannot be constructed or controlled by human effort; it must be received through divine consecration. Since VR is a human creation without ontological transformation, it remains profane and cannot mediate the sacred in the same way as consecrated physical spaces.