Archbishop Charles Brown echoed a pastoral statement made by the bishops’ conference on February 25, criticizing falsehoods circulated ahead of upcoming polls on May 9. “We need to speak the truth and shun all forms of falsehood. This is our duty as Christians, as believers of Christ, who himself is the truth,” Pope Francis’ envoy said in an Easter homily on April 17.
Newsroom (19/04/2022 2:40 PM, Gaudium Press) Philippine bishops issued a similar call in a pastoral letter on the EDSA People Power Revolution anniversary to combat fake news and lie looming on social media about former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, father of presidential frontrunner Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
They were responding to purported attempts by Marcos Jr. to paint the years of martial law under his father as a ‘golden age’ in Filipino history.
“We are alarmed by this distortion of historical truth and the attempt to delete or destroy our collective memory through the seeding of lies and false narratives. This is dangerous, for it poisons our collective consciousness and destroys the moral foundations of our institutions,” said the prelates in their pastoral letter.
In what some observers saw as showing support for the comments made in the pastoral letter, Archbishop Brown said every Catholic must be aware of every distortion and manipulation of the truth.
“We need to beware of fake news, falsehoods, distortions and manipulation,” said Archbishop Brown, whose comments came just days after a fake sex video of Aika Robredo was circulated online to discredit her. She is the eldest daughter of presidential candidate Leonor “Leni” Robredo.
“There’s charity and prudence in not saying everything that is true … but everything that is said should be true,” he added.
The papal nuncio said every person who claims to love Christ should be the bearer of truth, for Christ himself is the truth.
“We need to love the truth. We need to speak the truth just as we need to profess Christ in our lips,” he added.
(Via UCAN News)
Compiled by Raju Hasmukh
