Canada’s new primate is wired

This month Archbishop Andrew Hutchison, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, will go online on the national church’s Web site to introduce himself and talk about his vision for the national church in a Web cast. Vianney Carriere, director of communications and information resources, says it is hoped the event will be as successful as the Web casts on www.anglican.ca that gave viewers access to a virtual General Synod last June.

The format for the online broadcast, a first for the head of the church in Canada, will be “extremely flexible,” according to Mr. Carriere. “We’re not quite sure yet about the format but it will be pretty informal, like a chat with the church,” he said in an interview.

Mr. Carriere suggested the Web cast to Archbishop Hutchison after noting the success of the June General Synod Web cast, where more than 16,000 viewers not just from North America but every other continent established connections.

The Web cast is aimed at Anglicans in Canada but Mr. Carriere acknowledged that other members of the Anglican Communion might be interested.

Archbishop Hutchison was bishop of Montreal and metropolitan (senior bishop) in the eastern ecclesiastical (church) province of Canada before he was elected last May 31 as head of the Anglican Church of Canada, which counts a membership base of 1.3 million.

The frequency of the Web casts will depend on Archbishop Hutchison’s schedule and the budget, said Mr. Carriere. “If it’s something really important he may decide to speak. We will play it by ear.”

Taping for Archbishop Hutchison’s first Web cast has been scheduled for Oct. 6. The date of the broadcast has not been set. Anglican Video, the Anglican Church of Canada’s video department, will provide the feed. Length for each Web cast is projected to be about 10-15 minutes.

A Web cast is normally an Internet audio and/or video stream of a taped or live event.