CBCP urges ‘digital fast’ this Holy Week

Church leaders are using this year’s Holy Week to address modern crises, including the psychological, spiritual and ecological effects of constant online engagement, while urging the faithful to confront everyday injustices.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines issued a nationwide pastoral letter titled “Fasting Beyond Food: Inviting Christ Into Digital Media Use,” encouraging Catholics to undertake a digital media fast.

The CBCP said excessive use of smartphones and social media weakens one’s interior life and contributes to growing digital pollution. Archbishop Gilbert Garcera said the practice is meant to restore balance, not impose burden.

“The Lord calls us to fast not with gloomy faces but with joyful hearts seeking renewal,” Garcera said. “In stepping back from digital excess, we reclaim interior silence, deepen relationships, and rediscover God's presence in daily life.”

The bishops advised families to adopt simple practices such as device-free meals, avoiding screens before sleeping and upon waking, and occasional 24-hour digital breaks.

The message echoes the Lenten call of Pope Leo XIV, who urged a “fasting of language” to reduce harmful and divisive rhetoric.

“Lent is a time in which the Church... invites us to place the mystery of God back in the center of our lives,” the pope said.

Meanwhile, Manila Archbishop Jose Advincula reminded the faithful that Lent calls for a deeper transformation, citing the example of Christ’s sacrifice.

“On the cross, Jesus shows us that love is sometimes revealed not by what we do, but by what we are willing to endure for the sake of others,” Advincula said.

He urged Filipinos to let go of attachments and trust in God’s will.

“God can take even the darkest moments of human life… and transform them into instruments of grace,” he added.