Church bells ring vs fake news

Church bells in Manila rang on Sunday afternoon as a cardinal warned about the Philippines being on the brink of “crisis of truth” because of fake news and partisan politics.

Saying the country needs “renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit” and “the mighty wind and fire of the Spirit of truth and love,” Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle declared May 20 (Pentecost Sunday) to May 31 (the Feast of the Visitation) days of prayer, fasting and action “for truth and common good.”

Tagle, the Archbishop of Manila, called for the ringing of the bells at 3 p.m. on those days to commemorate Jesus’ death and the praying of the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy in parish churches, chapels, convents, schools, homes and offices.

Tagle’s letter

The cardinal’s appeal came in the wake of the proliferation of fake news, moves to amend the Constitution and the ouster of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

“We cannot deny that we are facing a crisis of truth. It is almost impossible for us ordinary citizens to know which news is true and which is fake,” he said in his May 13 letter to priests, religious brothers and nuns of the Archdiocese of Manila.

The Archdiocese of Manila covers cities of Manila, Makati, Pasay, San Juan and Mandaluyong.

Social media

Fake news has proliferated in the country and the rest of the world with the rise of social media.

Maria Ressa, head of the news website Rappler, has said that state-sponsored trolling uses social media armies to spread fake news and hate campaigns to quell dissent and to manipulate public opinion.

Sen. Grace Poe, who opened an inquiry into fake news, has proposed a law that would penalize government employees who spread false information.

But legislating against fake news would amount to “content-based restriction” and censorship, according to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.

Without citing a specific issue, Tagle said legal experts were giving the country “conflicting interpretations” of basic questions of law.

Suspicion, mistrust

“The crisis of truth has sown seeds of suspicion, mistrust and fragmentation. Partisan politics has turned into political ‘tribalization.’ The common good is one of the first casualties,” he lamented.

Rosalie Tengco, a 45-year-old mother of three from Makati City, said she was supporting Cardinal Tagle’s call for prayer and fasting for the sake of the country.

Discernment

“So many things are happening in our country now. We don’t know anymore who and what to believe. We need discernment and enlightenment,” Tengco said.

Cesar Makasakit, a parishioner at Mary Help of Christians, also in Makati, said it was good that “our Church leaders are taking the lead against all these issues.”

But some parishioners think the Church is not doing enough, while others believe that the Church should not meddle in politics and government.

“That’s why there’s separation of Church and State,” said Luisito Garcia, a vendor in Santa Cruz, Manila. “Sometimes, the Church meddles and  so does the government.”

Benjie Chua, a 25-year-old parishioner at Don Bosco Parish in Makati, wished the Church could be more brave in calling out the government on certain issues.

“The Church should not be all prayers. It should also be seen on the streets fighting what’s wrong in society,” he said.

On his request for prayer, Tagle said, “We ask pardon for sins committed against truth and open ourselves to the action of the Spirit of Truth.”

Prayer, fasting

The cardinal said prayer should be accompanied by fasting.

“Through fasting we redirect our focus from ourselves and our groups to the community,” he added.

For those who cannot fast  due to sickness or age, the archdiocese recommends concrete actions of charity and service.

Tagle also encouraged parishes, convents and schools to organize “feasts of truth and love” over the 12-day period.

“Please highlight and strengthen existing programs/projects that inculcate sharing, promote the common good, and restore trust and reconciliation,” he said.

These include, Tagle said, activities that promote charity and reconciliation and even holding forums on the Constitution, Charter change and federalism.

Pope Francis

Pope Francis also tackled fake news when he compared it  to the Bible story of the devil who, disguised as a serpent, persuaded Eve to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree.

The Pope said in January that in the Book of Genesis, Eve was fed wrong information by Satan, who told her the fruit would make her and Adam all-knowing as God.

“Fake news is a sign of intolerant and hypersensitive attitudes, and leads only to the spread of arrogance and hatred. That is the end result of untruth,” Francis said in the first document written by a Pope on the subject.

The document was released for the celebration of World Communications Day, which falls on May 13 this year. But the statement was issued on Jan. 24, which is the feast day of St. Francis of Sales, the patron of journalists. —With a report from Inquirer Research