Archbishop Charles Scicluna Claims Online Trolls Are Being Paid To Attack His Every Word
Archbishop Charles Scicluna has claimed there exists a network of online trolls who get paid for criticising and insulting him whenever he opens his mouth.
“Some of these [online] reactions are manipulated and paid for,” he said during an interview on RTK. “There are people whose jobs it is to attack every comment passed by the Archbishop. God willing the Archbishop will keep on speaking out so that these people can keep earning their daily bread by criticising his every word.”
He added that the Church’s media outlets have a huge responsibility to combat fake news and that they must not fear the repercussions of reporting the truth.
Scicluna also warned that social media has created “a new type of poverty” because a person’s online comments are not their individual property and can be easily shared by third parties.
“Often, online commenters act differently online than when they come face to face with the people they are criticising,” he said. “For example, people who attack politicians online don’t speak to them in the same manner when they knock on their doors for house visits..”
Cover photo: Church in Malta
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