Vatican to bishops, Catholic leaders: Lay off the divisive social media posts

The Vatican called on bishops and prominent Catholic leaders on Monday to address their comments on social media, saying some had fueled divisions and polemics that were damaging the entire Church.

The appeal is part of a 20-page document from the Vatican’s communications department titled, “Towards Full Presence. Pastoral Reflections on Engagement with Social Media.”

The document, addressed to all Catholics, warns of the dangers of fake news on social media and other forms of abuse that have turned people into commodities whose data is sold, often without their knowledge or consent.

It condemned the polarization and extremism that led to “digital tribalism” on social media, saying individuals often lock themselves into silos of opinion that stifle dialogue and often lead to violence, abuse and misinformation.

“The Christian style must be reflective, not reactive, in social media. Therefore, we must all be careful not to fall into the digital trap hidden in content that is deliberately designed to spread conflict among users by causing anger or emotional reactions,” he said. the document said.

“The issue of polemics and shallow, and thus divisive, communication is especially worrying when it comes from the leaders of the Church: bishops, pastors, and important lay leaders.”

Several conservative Catholic bishops and prominent commentators, particularly in the United States, have criticized Pope Francis on Twitter, and some have endorsed hateful, far-right video attacks on the pope.

“Unfortunately, broken relationships, conflicts and divisions are not alien to the Church. For example, when groups that are now themselves as ‘Catholics’ use the presence of social media to foster division, they do not act as the Christian community should,” document. said.

He said that special attention should be paid to the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) in the coming years, urging Catholics to be wary of machines “that make decisions for us.”

In 2020, the Vatican joined tech giants Microsoft and IBM to promote the ethical development of AI and call for regulation of intrusive technologies such as facial recognition.