Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines president (INQUIRER PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE)
MANILA, Philippines — “We must learn not to give up even on people who have been seduced by darkness.”
Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president Bishop Pablo Virgilio David made the remark on Wednesday following the outcome of the recently-concluded polls, the outcome of which was said to be greatly influenced by social media.
David also reminded the faithful to be the “agents of light” to fight the “agents of darkness”, adding that “the biggest arena in this battle between Christ and Satan in the age of digital technology seems to be the social media.”
“I am referring to the battle between truth and falsehood, or between information and disinformation,” David explained.
The bishop, however, recognized that getting people to know the truth is not an easy task.
“The real challenge therefore for the redeemer is how to get people to see the light or know the truth,” he said.
“It is not as simple as telling them ‘You’re wrong; I am right.’ They will only become defensive or may even turn offensive because they feel that they are being attacked.”
To this, however, David reminded the faithful to draw inspiration from the life of Jesus.
“Look what he did when they hung him on a cross, he prayed for them and said, ‘Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing.’ He proved his radical love by descending into the hell that people are capable of making their lives. He confronts evil head on and gives the agent of darkness a final blow in order to break his spell once and for all and lead his captives back to light,” David said.
“Take note, Jesus does not condemn those who remain in darkness because they have been seduced by its agents… And yet, Jesus also says those who willfully reject the truth and choose falsehood have already chosen their own condemnation.”