Archbishop Kuriakose Bharani-kulangara of Faridabad has asked social media not to indulge in manipulations and urged the fourth estate to maintain conventional moral standards.
“When such ethical criteria are not respected, the credibility of the writers is shaken and journalism becomes like gossip and soap opera,” the archbishop told Matters India on March 24 commenting on some recent developments in the Vatican as well as in his Indian diocese. Underscoring media as the “fourth estate” for being society’s conscience, the archbishop bemoaned that many “conscienceless individuals” have assumed the role of “agents of fake news.”
The prelate’s name had appeared in some recent controversies in the Syro-Malabar Church. The archbishop, a former Vatican diplomat, cited the case of Monsignor Edoardo Viganò, Prefect of the Vatican Secretariat for Communication, who resigned after being caught in a scandal about a letter from retired Pope Benedict XVI. The monsignor was accused of mischaracterizing the letter in public and then digitally manipulating a photograph sent to the media.
