MANILA (LiCAS News): Bishop Marcelino Antonio Maralit of San Pablo, the Philippines, urged Asian Catholic communicators to become “witnesses of hope” in a digital culture increasingly shaped by misinformation, deepfakes, and online hostility.
Bishop Maralit, chairperson of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences [FABC] Office of Social Communication, delivered the call during his keynote address at the SIGNIS Asia Assembly in Manila on October 22.
The bishop said the Church’s mission in the digital age must reflect “the gentleness and the hope that is in your hearts,” echoing Pope Francis’ message for World Communications Day based on the First Letter of Peter [3:15–16].
“When we speak about communications, we’re looking at a situation that has not been even imagined by the past generations,” he said. “Such is the advancement in communications that we are looking at a world that has a great impact on not only the reality of communications, but on the world itself.”
Such is the advancement in communications that we are looking at a world that has a great impact on not only the reality of communications, but on the world itself
Bishop Maralit
Six commitments for communicators of hope
Bishop Maralit outlined six key commitments that Catholic communicators must uphold to become what he called “communicators of hope” in an age of confusion and division:
• Promote truthful storytelling—counter misinformation with integrity.
• Encourage constructive dialogue—build bridges instead of walls.
• Advance media literacy—form audiences to discern truth from falsehood.
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• Foster collaboration—unite Church communicators and institutions.
• Witness faith through life—live the truth we proclaim.
• Be co-journeyers—accompany others in their struggles and digital isolation.
“For us communicators, for us people who are using communication as a means to evangelise, isn’t this truly part of our mission—to become communicators of hope, to become communicators of the message of Christ?” he said.
A world transformed by artificial intelligence
The bishop said the Church must navigate what Pope Francis described as an “epochal transformation” brought about by artificial intelligence and rapid technological change.
“Somehow, the Church has to really bring about a message that would help determine how all of these changes will take place in society right now,” he said.
For us communicators, for us people who are using communication as a means to evangelise, isn’t this truly part of our mission—to become communicators of hope, to become communicators of the message of Christ?
Bishop Maralit
He noted that Pope Leo XIV has called the digital revolution “the new industrial revolution,” drawing parallels to the Church’s response to social change under Pope Leo XIII during the 19th century.
Bishop Maralit also cited Geoffrey Hinton, the so-called “godfather of AI,” who warned of the existential threats posed by artificial intelligence.
“What would happen to us if these two realities or the two dangers of artificial intelligence really take place?” the bishop asked. “But even if that reality is there, our Holy Father and the Church have now taken upon themselves this challenge of the mission—to share with gentleness the hope that is in our hearts.”
The crisis of truth and identity
Bishop Maralit described today’s digital environment as both “powerful and perilous,” saying that truth itself has become obscured by an “epidemic of information.”
He noted, “We have misinformation, disinformation, fake news, deepfakes, and it changes. Trying to distinguish which is true and which is fake takes a lot of effort from anyone and everyone.”
The bishop shared his personal experience of being a victim of a deepfake video, which repurposed an interview from Radio Veritas Asia to falsely portray him endorsing an eye supplement.
We have misinformation, disinformation, fake news, deepfakes, and it changes. Trying to distinguish which is true and which is fake takes a lot of effort from anyone and everyone
Bishop Maralit
“That was an example of one of these falsehoods that exist right now in communications,” he said. “Of course, it’s not all falsehoods, but when can we distinguish whether it’s false or not? That’s where the difficulty comes into play.”
The bishop said the distortion of truth has also led to “image dysmorphia,” where people lose sight of their true selves amid the pressure to present perfect versions of themselves online.
“People tend to present a perfect version of themselves, which we all know in reality is never true,” he said.
‘Disarm communication’
Bishop Maralit warned that communication has increasingly become “violent,” describing the spread of digital bullying, hate speech, and polarisation as symptoms of a culture that has forgotten dialogue.
“Too often communication is violent, aimed at striking and not at establishing the conditions for dialogue,” he said. “It is therefore necessary to disarm communication, to cleanse it of aggression.”
Of course, it’s not all falsehoods, but when can we distinguish whether it’s false or not? That’s where the difficulty comes into play
Bishop Maralit
He added that social media platforms often act as echo chambers that reinforce ideological divisions instead of promoting understanding.
“Rather than create movements of dialogue, it has already been proven by studies that rather than mix up the different ideologies and thoughts of people, they become more like echo chambers,” he said.
Love as the foundation of communication
Bishop Maralit concluded his address by grounding the Church’s communication mission in the two great commandments—to love God and to love one’s neighbour [Matthew 22:37–40].
“Love that needs to be anchored first in God, and second, a love that will be the way to purify our relationships—versus polarisations, versus radicalisations, versus the violence of aggressive communication, and even versus falsehoods,” he said. “To be truthful, because we believe in God, and because we do care about others.”
He said Christian communicators must learn to embody what the Church calls the “divine style” of communication — a presence marked by compassion, humility, and solidarity.
“People need to remember that they are not journeying by themselves in this world,” he said. “As Christians, part of what we need to do is to remind people that we are co-journeyers with them.”
