Be able to register .Catholic domain names — Catholics won’t
No personal second level domains will be allowed for .catholic.
If you’re a follower of the Catholic faith and can’t wait to get your hands on yourname.catholic, I’ve got disappointing news for you: it’s not going to happen.
The Pontifical Council for Social Communications (PCCS), the applicant for .catholic, plans to run the domain name in a closed manner similar to .gov.
Its application states:
…individual adherents will not be eligible to register or be granted use of .catholic domain names. Dioceses, religious orders and institutions as found in the “Annuario Pontificio” (the official annual directory of all the institutions related to the Holy See) are recognised as members of the TLD Catholic Community, by virtue of their being formally recognised by the Catholic Church. This recognition is primarily, though not exclusively, evidenced by inclusion in the Annuario Pontificio. The PCCS will maintain a list of institutions formally recognised by the Holy See as falling within the Catholic Church.
All of the second level domain names will actually be registered in the name of the PCCS, and it will have ultimate control over the domains. So don’t expect any negative talk regarding the Catholic church on a .catholic web site.
As for those “individual adherents” to the Catholic faith, PCCS states you’ll still benefit from the fresh top level domain name:
Members of congregations, members of religious orders, and those involved in any other organisation affiliated with the Church: these individuals will benefit through being able to easily access information pertinent to the Church and its activities with confidence.
