Holy Father Pope Francis In his message for the World Communications Day 2018, Pope Francis called for a “journalism for peace” in response to the threat of fake news, which “thrives on the absence of healthy confrontation with other sources of information”. The World Communications Day, which is held annually on the Sunday before Pentecost, falling this year on 13 May 2018, is the only worldwide celebration called for by the Second Vatican Council.
As reported by Vatican Radio, Holy Father Pope Francis remarked that “Communication is part of God’s plan for us and an essential way to experience fellowship. Made in the image and likeness of our Creator, we are able to express and share all that is true, good, and beautiful. We are able to describe our own experiences and the world around us, and thus to create historical memory and the understanding of events. But when we yield to our own pride and selfishness, we can also distort the way we use our ability to communicate.” Further, His Holiness added, “The difficulty of unmasking and eliminating fake news is due also to the fact that many people interact in homogeneous digital environments impervious to differing perspectives and opinions. “
The Holy Father’s message is traditionally published in conjunction with January 24, the feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron of journalists, to allow bishops’ conferences, diocesan offices and communications organizations sufficient time to prepare audiovisual and other materials for national and local celebrations.
