It was the second time in less than month that the 85-year-old pope has spoken out on the subject. Three weeks ago, he condemned"baseless" ideological misinformation about vaccines, backing national immunisation campaigns and calling health care a moral obligation..
"To be properly informed, to be helped to understand situations based on scientific data and not fake news, is a human right," the pope told the group."Correct information must be ensured above all to those who are less equipped, to the weakest and to those who are most vulnerable." Believers of fake news should not be placed in"ghettos" but attempts should be made to try to win them over to the scientific truth.
It was significant that the pope made the address to a Catholic media group. Some right-wing Catholic outlets, blogs and websites have been shut down by social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter for spreading COVID disinformation. Many have moved to other platforms.