ASIA/PHILIPPINES - Bishop to young people: dedicate more time to Jesus, less to mobile phones

Tuesday, 26 November 2019 evangelization new technologies youth

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Tagbilaran (Agenzia Fides) – May young people dedicate more time to Jesus, less to mobile phones: this is the exhortation addressed by Mgr. Alberto S. Uy, Bishop of Tagbilaran, to the young delegates present at the diocesan Youth Day organized in Tagbilaran, city on the island of Bohol. "Mobile phones are useful tools, but they must be used in the right way, they can be addictive. Let us give Jesus more time and more attention than we give to mobile phones. Loves Jesus more than you love your phone" he said to young people.
More than 3,000 delegates from different parishes participated in the Diocesan Youth Day which represented the end of the Year of Youth, lived by the Filipino Church which concluded on Sunday 24 November, the solemnity of Christ the King and the end of the liturgical year.
The Bishop turned to every young person present: "Wherever you go, bring Jesus in your heart. In social media, be a peacemaker; be an evangelizer, not a promoter of yourself" he said.
Reflecting then on the feast of Christ the King he said that "having Jesus as our king means giving him a special place in our homes, schools, in our lives". At a deeper level then, "Jesus is our king if we allow him to influence our lives, our words and actions, our minds and our hearts", clarified Mgr. Uy.
According to the "Digital 2019. Global Digital Statshot" report, published in partnership by the two social media management platforms "We Are Social" and "Hootsuite", the Philippines are among the world's leading social media presence, with 99% of Internet users present on at least one type of social media platform. The number of social media users in the Philippines has increased from 67 million in 2018 to 76 million in 2019. Of these, 75 million are on Facebook. 67% of social media accesses in the Philippines are via mobile phones. (SD) (Agenzia Fides, 26/11/2019)