It's not just universities, police departments, and businesses who see Second Life as a potential recruiting ground: the Society of Jesus, that rather controversial order of the Catholic Church better known as the Jesuits, are being urged by one of their own to head into virtual territory to facilitate real-life spirituality. In the Italian Jesuit journal La Civilta Cattolica, "Antonio Spadaro urged fellow Catholics not to be scared of entering the virtual world, which may be fertile ground for new converts wishing to better themselves." Despite the inclusion of "the erotic dimension" and people who no doubt would prefer to escape the real world, not be converted, Spadaro feels that the virtual world is just a new frontier for missionary work:

"Deep down, the digital world can be considered, in its way, mission territory," he said. "Second Life is somewhere where the opportunity to meet people and to grow should not be missed, therefore, any initiative that can inspire the residents in a positive way should be considered opportune."

The Jesuits have been criticized over the centuries for being too liberal and have gotten the papal smackdown in centuries past for trying to integrate native customs and Catholic teachings when preaching to the not-yet-converted; I'm curious what the formal stance of the Catholic Church on missionary activity in the virtual realm is.

Jesuits urged to take God's word to 'Second Life' [Reuters via GamePolitics]

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