MANILA — Catholic media in Asia must go beyond simply using digital platforms to share messages and instead use them to bring greater attention to the voices and experiences of people who are often unseen or unheard, Philippine bishops’ conference president Archbishop Gilbert Garcera said Friday.
“The Church therefore cannot simply use media to spread a message. We must enter the new culture created by modern communication, learning its language while remaining faithful to the Gospel,” Garcera said.
“We must listen to Asia — especially to those whose voices are often unheard: the poor, migrants, indigenous peoples, young people, victims of injustices and the marginalized,” Garcera said.
Garcera also warned against allowing online popularity to determine what Catholic media reports or how stories are told.
“We must never allow popularity to become the measure of truth,” he said.
PHOTO: Radio Veritas Asia
Garcera delivered the message during his homily at the opening Mass of the Asian Catholic Digital Missionary Assembly, held at the Radio Veritas Asia headquarters in Quezon City.
The gathering is organized by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences Office of Social Communications and RVA, in partnership with the Vatican Dicastery for Communication.
Catholic Communication Begins with Listening
In an age when digital platforms can make a message reach thousand within seconds, Catholic communicators are being reminded that communication is not simply about gaining attention. It is also about recognizing people whose stories, struggles, faith, and contributions can easily remain unseen.
Digital communication can quickly become centered on what attracts the most views, reactions, or shares. Yet the Christian approach to communication asks a different question. Whose voice still needs to be heard?
For the Church, listening is not passive. It is an expression of solidarity and communion. Catholic communicators are called to recognize the dignity of every person, including those whose experiences may not fit easily into mainstream conversations.
This means giving attention to communities, families, young people, the elderly, the poor, and others whose stories can be overlooked. Their experiences can reveal important dimensions of the Church’s life and mission that might otherwise remain invisible.
Digital Platforms as Spaces for Encounter
The Catholic presence in the digital world carries an opportunity to build genuine human connection. Technology can extend the Church’s reach, but its value ultimately depends on how it is used.
When digital storytelling is guided by compassion and truth, it can become more than the transmission of information. It can introduce people to lives they might never encounter personally, strengthen awareness of the needs of others, and remind audiences that behind every story is a human person with dignity.
Catholic communication therefore requires more than technical skill. It calls for discernment, empathy, and a willingness to listen before speaking.
Making the Church’s Mission More Visible
Amplifying overlooked voices also strengthens the Church’s witness. The Gospel continually directs attention toward people who can be forgotten by society, reminding Christians that every person has a place within the human family.
Digital communicators have a particular role in bringing this vision into contemporary media. Through thoughtful storytelling, they can reveal acts of quiet service, faithful perseverance, community life, and ordinary holiness that may never become widely known.
The mission is ultimately not to make communicators themselves more visible, but to help others be seen. In this way, Catholic media can become an instrument of communion—connecting people, encouraging understanding, and allowing stories of faith and human dignity to reach wider audiences.
Confession, through humility and examination of conscience, reminds communicators to seek truth rather than personal recognition.
Adoration, in silence before Christ, creates space to listen to God before attempting to speak for others.
The Rosary, prayed with Mary, teaches attentiveness to the lives, joys, and struggles of others.
The Eucharist, which gathers the Church into one communion, reminds Catholics that no person should be treated as invisible or insignificant.
Scripture, especially Christ’s call to love and serve others, provides the foundation for communication that gives dignity to every voice.
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