Igreja no metaverso: uma reflexão teológico-comunicacional a partir da primeira "missa metaversal".

In mid-2022, the celebration of a "first mass in the metaverse" broadcast by a Brazilian Catholic-inspired TV network was announced, a fact that evokes diverse discussions about the religious phenomenon and ritual practice in unconventional environments. Beyond the liturgical aspect of such a rite, the need to think about the metaverse in the light of the pastoral practice of the Church emerges. For this, we will firstly examine the very concept of metaverse and the way it has been presented and debated recently. Then, we will approach the notion of metaverse to the religious experience, in a broader way, to later reflect, specifically, on the liturgical practice, particularly the Christian-Catholic one, in digital environments. With this, we will be able to analyze in more detail the celebration of that "first metaversal mass", raising some provocations from some of its theological, liturgical and pastoral developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]