Bishop Marcelino Antonio Maralit Jr. of Boac stressed the importance of the Church’s social communication ministry in evangelization.
The prelate, who heads the Episcopal Commission on Social Communication, said the “critical role” of those working in Church media has been discussed during the recently concluded meeting of the country’s Catholic bishops.
He told Radio Veritas 846 in an interview that media workers in Church should “work hand in hand … to fight for the truth.”
“We’ll strategize on how we can all work together and hopefully all help each other,” he said as he urged everyone to “find ways to really serve God through our ministry, through the modern means of communication.”
Meanwhile, Father Francis Lucas, president of the Catholic Media Network, told an online forum that the Church needs to continue “fusing Christ’s teachings with cultural values to form credible witnesses of God’s truth.”
The priest said that Filipino culture has certain values, which when directed to God, will “cure the age-old split or dissonance between belief and practice.”
He said that when these values are directed to God, people will be able to better respond to the call to discipleship.
In his talk on “Truth and the Filipinos’ Faith Journey” on July 2, Father Lucas noted that Filipinos are steeped in religiosity.
The priest said that the people’s faith conviction and strong sense of community can effectively counter widespread lies and bolster relationships.
To facilitate dialogue, Father Lucas said members of the clergy should take on the role of “influencers.”
They need to “live God’s truth” and “immerse themselves in the grassroots” through another Filipino value of “pakikisama,” or getting along with others.
Father Lucas was speaking during an online forum initiated by the Veritas Asia Institute for Social Communication of the Office of Social Communication of the Asian bishops’ federation. – with a report from Anthony Roman
