The Cardinal Archbishop of Manila, Philippines, Jose Advincula challenged Catholics, especially the young people, to combat disinformation amid what he called “crisis of truth” in the country. Speaking at the Thanksgiving Mass for the canonization of St. Titus Brandsma on Saturday in the Cubao Cathedral in Quezon City, the archbishop asked the faithful to use social media as a “pulpit” to evangelize and defend the truth.
“If there are forces that use social media to deceive and spread lies, let us combat them by flooding it with the truth of God’s word,” Advincula said. While he acknowledged that the task is not easy, he stressed that when truth is at stake, “remaining apathetic and silent is a sin.”
“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,” the archbishop added.
Brandsma, whom Pope Francis declared a saint along with nine others on May 15, is being described as a journalist-martyr of the 20th century. Born in 1881, the Dutch Carmelite priest, theologian, journalist, and author wrote and spoke out against the Nazis’ anti-Jewish laws and propaganda. In January 1942, he was arrested after trying to persuade Dutch Catholic newspapers not to print Nazi propaganda. When Brandsma refused, he was transferred to the Dachau concentration camp in February 1942, where he died by lethal injection on July 27 at the age of 61.
The new saint is the titular patron of the Filippino province of the Carmelite Order.
Among those present during the Mass were Archbishop Charles Brown, Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, members of the Carmelite Order, and some representatives of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Manila.
Cardinal Advincula also exhorted the faithful to be inspired by the saint’s “unwavering pursuit of truth.” “Let us imitate St. Titus in his unwavering courage to proclaim the truth that can never be changed,” he said.