.catholic

Overview

.catholic is a proposed generic top-level domain (gTLD) submitted through ICANN's New gTLD Program. The string is intended to represent the Catholic Church and related institutions. The application was filed by the Pontificium Consilium de Communicationibus Socialibus (PCCS), a dicastery of the Holy See (Vatican).

Other related applied-for strings include IDN versions for Chinese (.天主教), Russian (.католик) and Arabic (.كاثوليك).

History

• Status: Proposed (as recorded in the ICANN/new gTLD application materials).
• Applicant: Pontificium Consilium de Communicationibus Socialibus (PCCS), a department of the Holy See.
• Registry (listed in the application): ARI Registry Services.
• Application reveal: listed among applied-for strings on Reveal Day, 13 June 2012.
• Category in the application materials: Culture. The application priority number is recorded as 1366 (Pontificium Consilium de Communicationibus Socialibus).

Usage and Audience

• Intended primary operator: PCCS (the applicant and governing Holy See body named in the application).
• Intended registrants (eligible affiliates): recognized dioceses, religious orders, and Catholic Church–affiliated institutions, at the sole discretion of the PCCS.
• The PCCS stated it will maintain a list of affiliates formally recognised by the Holy See (primarily based on the Annuario Pontificio) to determine eligibility.

Registration Rules

• Eligibility: Registration is restricted to the PCCS and may be granted at the sole discretion of the PCCS to affiliates formally recognised by the Holy See.
• Policy excerpt from the application: "The eligibility to register a domain name within the .catholic TLD will be restricted to the PCCS and the PCCS alone. Use of a .catholic domain name may be granted at the sole discretion of the PCCS to an affiliate such as recognised dioceses, religious orders and Catholic Church-affiliated institutions. The PCCS maintains a list of affiliates formally recognised by the Holy See as being part of the Catholic Church and thus being eligible to be granted use of a .catholic domain name. This list is primarily based on, however not exclusively, on the Annuario Pontificio (the official annual directory of all institutions related to the Holy See)."
• Other technical/administrative details such as registration periods, allowed characters, and implementation dates were not specified in the provided material.

SEO and Brand Impact

• The application raised questions about representation and public perception: objectors argued that the term "Catholic" is used broadly by other Christian traditions, which affects perceived exclusivity and representation.
• The Independent Objector reviewed public comments and noted the importance of religious freedom but concluded the applicant represents the large majority of Catholics and is in a position to operate the TLD as applied for. These controversies can influence public trust and brand positioning for a TLD tied to a religious identity.

Notable Cases or Examples

• Objection by the Saudi Communication and Information Technology Commission, citing that the term "Catholic" is used more broadly across Christian denominations (including Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches).
• Independent Objector (IO) preliminary review: the IO examined public comments and controversial aspects and concluded that the applicant represents the large majority of Catholics and can run the TLD as proposed.

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domain:       CATHOLIC

organisation: Pontificium Consilium de Comunicationibus Socialibus (PCCS) (Pontifical Council for Social Communication)
address:      Via della Conciliazione 5
address:      Città del Vaticano V-00120
address:      Holy See (the)

contact:      administrative
name:         Administrative Contact
organisation: Secretaria pro Communicatione
address:      Piazza Pia 3
address:      Città del Vaticano V-00120
address:      Holy See (the)
phone:        +39 06 698 45204
fax-no:       +39 06 698 45210
e-mail:       administrative.catholictld@spc.va

contact:      technical
name:         Technical Contact
address:      Piazza Pia 3
address:      Città del Vaticano V-00120
address:      Holy See (the)
phone:        +39 06 698 45204
fax-no:       +39 06 698 45210
e-mail:       technical.catholictld@spc.va

nserver:      A.NIC.CATHOLIC 2001:dcd:1:0:0:0:0:9 37.209.192.9
nserver:      B.NIC.CATHOLIC 2001:dcd:2:0:0:0:0:9 37.209.194.9
nserver:      C.NIC.CATHOLIC 2001:dcd:3:0:0:0:0:9 37.209.196.9
nserver:      X.NIC.CATHOLIC 156.154.172.82 2610:a1:1074:0:0:0:1:82
nserver:      Y.NIC.CATHOLIC 156.154.173.82 2610:a1:1075:0:0:0:1:82
nserver:      Z.NIC.CATHOLIC 156.154.174.82 2610:a1:1076:0:0:0:1:82
ds-rdata:     21967 8 2 a6aac594f31e65e79e0dcede4d0a0b10eaa0f4db43dd7174fd928e01bd5542a0

whois:        whois.nic.catholic

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: http://www.pccs.va

created:      2016-11-16
changed:      2023-12-21
source:       IANA