Manila cardinal urges faithful to fight online disinformation

MANILA, Philippines — Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula on Saturday urged the Catholic faithful to use social media as a “pulpit” to defend the truth in the face of massive disinformation and proliferation of fake news.

Speaking at the Thanksgiving Mass for the canonization of St. Titus Brandsma, Advincula said the faithful should draw lessons from the life of the saint, a Dutch priest and journalist who was imprisoned and murdered for speaking out against Nazi propaganda.

“When we seem to be experiencing a crisis of truth, especially in social media. St. Titus inspires us to use social media as a pulpit from which we must proclaim, and if need be, defend the truth,” Advincula said in his homily at the Cubao Cathedral in Quezon City on Saturday.

“St. Titus teaches us that when the truth is at stake, remaining apathetic and silent is a sin,” Advincula added.

FILE PHOTO: Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula. INQUIRER FILES

Pope Francis declared Brandsma a saint along with nine others on May 15.

Born on February 23, 1881, at Ugoklooster, Netherlands, the Dutch Carmelite priest, theologian, journalist and author wrote and spoke out against the Nazis’ anti-Jewish laws and propaganda.

Brandsma was arrested in January 1942 for trying to persuade Dutch Catholic newspapers not to print Nazi propaganda.

In February 1942, the priest was transferred to the Dachau concentration camp in Germany, where he died by lethal injection in July that year at the age of 61.

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