As the Lenten season begins this week, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) called on the faithful to avoid using social media as a form of fasting or sacrifice.
In a pastoral letter released Monday, CBCP president Archbishop Gilbert Garcera emphasized that traditional fasting has long involved abstaining from food as an act of repentance and spiritual focus.
But he noted that fasting also means detaching from anything that distracts the heart from God.
“In our present time, fasting must also address the new realities shaping human life. One of the greatest influences today is digital media. Thus, we invite the faithful to undertake a digital media fasting as a contemporary expression of conversion and renewal,” Garcera said.
The CBCP recommended concrete steps for digital fasting, including limiting phone use before sleep and upon waking, reducing social media and streaming time, and observing device-free meals and gatherings.
The guidance also suggested occasional 24-hour or weekend fasts from digital devices, deleting distracting apps, and replacing screen time with prayer, reading, service, or meaningful conversation.
Garcera explained that digital fasting is meant to redirect focus from self-centered habits toward service and love for others.
“By limiting digital consumption, we create time for prayer, reading Scriptures, Eucharistic devotion, works of mercy, and meaningful encounters with others. It is not deprivation but transformation,” he said.
Lent begins on February 18, Ash Wednesday, and spans 40 days of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving for Roman Catholics.
