The message of Pope Francis for World Communications Day.

“The truth shall set you free” drawn from John 8: 32, focusing on elimination fake news from journalism and promoting peace. May 13, 2018, marks the World Communications Day and the message to celebrate this day was released on January 24  2018,  the feast day of St Francis de Sales who is the patron saint of journalists.

Pope said, fake news played on stereotypes and prejudices – and praised efforts to make social media users aware of false reports.  The first fake news dated back to the biblical beginning of time when Eve was tempted to take an apple from the Garden of Eden based on misinformation from a serpent. “The strategy of this skilled ‘Father of Lies’ is precisely mimicry, that sly and dangerous form of seduction that worms its way into the heart with false and alluring arguments,” he said of the snake.

Pope Francis, therefore, called for a shared commitment to rediscovering the “dignity of journalism” and for reporters to speak the truth: “In today’s world, the work of journalists is, in every sense, not just a job; it is a mission”

“Amid feeding frenzies and the mad rush for a scoop, they must remember that the heart of information is not the speed with which it is reported or its audience impact, but persons. He said, “Informing others means forming others; it means being in touch with people’s lives,” He went on to said, “ Ensuring the accuracy of sources and protecting communication are real means of promoting goodness, generating trust, and opening the way to communion and peace.”

Please, click the link to read the full message of His Holiness Pope Francis for World Communications Day