Pope Francis urges Catholics to engage in debate, educate themselves, and take action against harmful content on social media
Religion

Pope Francis urges Catholics to engage in debate, educate themselves, and take action against harmful content on social media

Pope Francis celebrated Mass for Rome’s Congolese community in St. Peter’s Basilica on July 3, 2022. / Daniel Ibanez/CNA

In order to combat “lies and misinformation,” Pope Francis has urged Catholics to engage in debate, educate themselves, and take action against harmful content on social media.

The Holy Father also urged the participation of presently excluded communities in “the digital sphere” in a statement released by the Holy See on July 18.

This statement was delivered by Pope Francis to attendees of the 2022 World Congress of SIGNIS in Seoul, South Korea.

The Congress, which takes place every four years, will investigate the subject of “Peace in the Digital World” both in person and online from August 16 to 19.

The World Catholic Association for Communication, or SIGNIS, was founded with the purpose of fostering human dignity, justice, and reconciliation in order to “help alter cultures in the light of the Gospel.”

“The use of digital media, especially social media, has raised a number of significant ethical difficulties,” the pope stated in his message.

“This calls for intelligent and discerning judgement on the part of communicators and all those concerned with the authenticity and integrity of human relationships.”

The pope said, “Sometimes and in some locations, media outlets have turned into hotbeds of poison, hate speech, and fake news.

In order to combat these, he exhorted Catholic communicators to continue their efforts, “paying particular attention to the need to assist people, especially young people, to develop a sound critical sense, learning to distinguish truth from falsehood, right from wrong, good from evil, and to appreciate the importance of working for justice, social concord, and respect for our common home.”

In addition, the pope emphasised the importance of prioritising digital inclusion by pointing out “the numerous populations in our society who remain excluded from the digital arena.”

The Holy Father stated that through doing this, Catholic communicators “significantly contribute to the promotion of a culture of peace rooted in the truth of the Gospel.”

“The tale of Saint Andrew Kim and his companions two hundred years ago [may] confirm you in your own efforts to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the language of contemporary communications technologies,” Pope Francis prayed.

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