Uncategorized — Page 185

  • Fact checking the Pope

    Fact checking the Pope

    CBCPNews,

    At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I would like to remind soc-med enthusiasts to please, please be aware of social media sharing—and consuming. Be particularly cautious when encountering such messages on platforms like Facebook, Twitter (now X), and WhatsApp. False information can easily go viral. When you indiscriminately forward unexamined material attributed to the pope, you allow yourself to become a soldier of the Prince of Lies. And you know what he wants—a Church divided, confused, crushed. If you are not getting any help in that department, use critical thinking and scepticism. See if the content of the message aligns with the pope’s known beliefs, values, public statements, and Church teachings. Be cautious of messages that seem sensational (“Pope Francis cancels the Holy Bible”), polarizing (“Pope Francis endorses Bernie Sanders for President”) or do not sync with the Magisterium teachings (as in the message referred to about using perfume and silverware, which was in reality an essay written and first posted by a female Brazilian singer, see?). The spread of misinformation, especially when attributed to influential figures like the Pope, can have significant or damaging consequences. Recall the viral prayer, complete with a video and various visuals, that the faithful spread around ad nauseam as coming from Pope Francis—“I am vaccinated by the Precious Blood of Christ. No virus can touch me.” In reality, there is no record whatsoever of the pope authoring that prayer, but it was blasted through social media. It even appeared in a billboard in the Philippines. Imagine the false sense of security it created in those who believed it, and the disappointment that followed when—vaccinated “by the blood of Christ”—they still got Covid again and again.

  • Is AI a boon or a bane?

    Is AI a boon or a bane?

    CBCPNews,

    Regarding media technology, various popes have released several encyclicals, exhortations, and messages, acknowledging the enormous potential of mass and social media for the spread of the faith, while at the same time pointing out the potential harm they could do to human beings and society if they are used irresponsibly. Pope Francis expressed the same thought to participants of the “Minerva Dialogues” during an audience last 27 March 2023. But the risks that this can be used in a harmful way remain high, especially if we listen to experts such as Geoffrey Hinton, a computer scientist who was part of Google and considered the “Godfather of AI.” Hinton has retired from the giant tech company so that he could devote his time talking about “safety issues” and warns of the possible risks AI may pose to society if not used responsibly. In a short message explaining the theme for World Communications Day, the Vatican press office said thus: “Like all revolutions, this one based on artificial intelligence, too, poses new challenges to ensure that machines do not contribute to a large-scale system of disinformation and do not also increase the loneliness of those who are already alone, depriving us of the warmth that only communication between people can provide.

  • Death anniversary ni Fr.Joe Dizon, gugunitain ng CWS

    Death anniversary ni Fr.Joe Dizon, gugunitain ng CWS

    VeritasPH,

    VeritasPH is one of the prominent Roman Catholic online church media in the Philippines and the official digital arm of the Radio Veritas Global Broadcasting Inc.We provide church news, programs, and public affairs, for the Filipino global community.It also carries content from Radio Veritas 846 - Ang Radyo ng Simbahan, the number one faith-based radio station in the country.