A leading Asian Church official has called on Catholic communicators to become “witnesses of hope” and truth in a digital world increasingly dominated by misinformation, artificial intelligence, and online hostility.
Bishop Marcelino Antonio Maralit of San Pablo, who chairs the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) Office of Social Communication, delivered the message during the SIGNIS Asia Assembly held in Manila on October 22. Speaking via recorded video, he emphasized the urgent need for the Church to engage with today’s rapidly evolving communication landscape “with gentleness and hope,” echoing Pope Francis’ message for World Communications Day.
“We are looking at a situation that has not even been imagined by past generations,” Bishop Maralit said. “The advancement of communications today has a great impact not only on communication itself, but on the world as a whole.”
He urged Catholic communicators to become “communicators of hope,” outlining key responsibilities such as promoting truthful storytelling, encouraging constructive dialogue, advancing media literacy, fostering collaboration, witnessing faith through life, and accompanying others in their struggles. “For us communicators and evangelizers, this is truly our mission — to become communicators of hope, of the message of Christ,” he said.
Addressing the impact of artificial intelligence, Bishop Maralit described the present moment as an “epochal transformation,” a phrase used by Pope Francis to describe the sweeping effects of technology on humanity. He noted that Pope Leo XIV, successor to Pope Francis, recently referred to the digital revolution as “the new industrial revolution,” drawing a historical parallel to the Church’s response to social change in the 19th century under Pope Leo XIII.
Quoting AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton, the bishop warned of the dangers posed by unchecked artificial intelligence but insisted that the Church’s mission remains rooted in hope. “Even with these dangers, our Holy Father and the Church have taken upon themselves the challenge to share, with gentleness, the hope that is in our hearts,” he said.
The bishop lamented that today’s digital environment has become “powerful yet perilous,” plagued by misinformation, fake news, and deepfakes that blur the line between truth and falsehood. He shared a personal experience of being a victim of a deepfake video falsely portraying him endorsing an eye supplement. “That was an example of the falsehoods that exist in communication today,” he said. “The challenge now is how to distinguish what is true from what is fake.”
Bishop Maralit also warned of “image dysmorphia,” the growing tendency for individuals to lose their sense of self by constantly presenting idealized versions of themselves online. He described modern communication as increasingly “violent,” urging Catholics to “disarm communication” by cleansing it of aggression and hostility. “Too often, communication is aimed at striking rather than establishing dialogue,” he said. “Social media platforms have become echo chambers, reinforcing division instead of understanding.”
Concluding his address, Bishop Maralit grounded the Church’s mission in love for God and neighbor, citing Matthew 22:37–40. “Love must be anchored first in God, and second, in our relationships with others,” he said. “It is love that purifies our relationships and heals the violence of communication.” He called on Catholic communicators to embody the “divine style of communication” — one marked by compassion, humility, and solidarity
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