Church can’t ignore fake news, disinformation

In response to an accusation that the Catholic Church has become a platform for hateful and negative campaigning, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, through its public affairs committee executive secretary, Fr. Jerome Secillano, said “the Church is only speaking the uninvented truth backed by records,” (“CBCP tells Marcos: We’re only telling the truth,” News, 3/6/2022).

In line with St. Paul’s command to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:5), the Church cannot close its eyes to the fake news and disinformation peddled daily by a paid army of trolls in the social media. Careful not to cross the line of partisan politics, she, as a mother and teacher to her members, has the right and duty to provide them moral guidance so that they can all grow in maturity and not easily deceived “by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.” (Ephesians 4:15)

Perhaps at no time in our political history are we as people more challenged to pursue the factual truths about those vying to be president of our country. We cannot afford to be deceived again by the brazen lies and deceptions that have placed our country under a dark cloud of moral vulnerability and depravity for the last six years. Given what is at stake in the upcoming polls, it is imperative to expose and dissect those lies in the marketplace of ideas to enable the voters to see and judge who among the candidates is worthy of their faith and trust.

There is hope that the so-called Catholic vote may no longer remain a pipe dream but may become a much-desired reality in the May 9 elections. It is a vote not based on telling Catholics whom to vote as a herd of blind followers. It is based on what is true, just, and good for our country. Although it is expected that, for a host of dispositional and situational factors, some members of the Church would not agree with her version of the truth, it suffices to know that she has done her best to inform and form their conscience according to whose dictate they are free to decide who among the candidates represent and personify the truths, principles, and values they, as a community of believers, collectively profess.

NOEL G. ASIONES
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