Vatican City, June 18. Pope Francis, during an audience at the Vatican today with members of the Society of Saint Paul, attacked the “lack of honesty” in the media and lamented that “disinformation is rampant”.
“If we take over the media today, there will be a lack of cleanliness, honesty and integrity. Misinformation is the order of the day. One thing is said, many others are kept secret,” he lamented at his meeting with the participants of the XI. Pauline Chapter, known for their evangelization through media and technology.
Francis encouraged this congregation in the Apostolic Palace to ensure that this phenomenon does not cloud their style of communication, that “it really comes from vocation, from the Gospel, that it is clear and distinct”.
The mission of the Society of Saint Paul, stressed the Argentine Pope, should not only be to communicate, but also “to redeem communication from the state it is in today”.
“In the hands of a whole communication world that either says half, or one party slanders the other, or one party defames the other, or offers scandals, because people like to consume scandals, i.e. eat dirt, right? Is that correct? “It is so,” said the Pope.
Francisco expressed himself in exactly this way, improvising and leaving the speech he had prepared and delivered to the participants in his audience for them to read later.
“Here is the speech I have to give, but why waste time saying this when you can read it later? I think it’s better to give it to the general and then let him spread it when he sees fit. If not, leave it. He censors it. Also, I think it’s better to communicate in a fraternal way with the heat of the encounter, it’s better than the cold of the speech,” the Pope said.