THE Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has urged the faithful to consider refraining from social media as a form of sacrifice during the Lenten season, which begins this week.
“Fasting has traditionally meant abstaining from food as an act of repentance and spiritual focus. Yet fasting also means detaching from whatever distracts our hearts from God,” CBCP president Archbishop Gilbert Garcera said in a pastoral letter, as reported by CBCP News.
“In our present time, fasting must also address the new realities shaping human life. One of the greatest influences today is digital media,” the prelate said.
“Thus, we invite the faithful to undertake a digital media fasting as a contemporary expression of conversion and renewal,” he added.
The CBCP urged the faithful to avoid using their phones before bed and upon waking, limit social media and streaming and observe device-free meals and gatherings.
It also encouraged occasional 24-hour or weekend digital fasts, removing distracting applications and replacing screen time with prayer, service, reading or conversation.
Garcera said digital fasting helps redirect people “from self-centered habits to the loving service of 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, which begins on Feb. 18, 2026, Ash Wednesday, is a 40-day season of prayer, fasting and almsgiving for Catholics. (PNA)