In an email interview Tuesday, Waldstein said that the right to free speech is derived from the “duty to seek and serve the truth.” But, he added, Church teaching does not entail an unlimited right to freedom of speech.
“There is no right to spread lies, or false and harmful opinions,” he explained. “There is no right to use social communications to incite hatred and violence against other persons or groups.”
He added that big technology companies like Facebook and Twitter should not be the arbiters of truth in the public discourse. Instead, he said, those companies “ought to be strongly regulated by the state to ensure that they do not use their power to advance partisan interests.”
Waldstein said that the task of regulating speech typically is the responsibility of the state, and, in theological matters, the Church. But Waldstein cautioned that the authority of the state “is undermined when the state itself is committed to a false ideology.” He named the suppression of free speech in the Soviet Union as an example.
Waldstein said that the Second Vatican Council teaches that “the juridical order should protect ‘the right to express one’s own opinion’ (Gaudium et spes §73).” He added that “this includes the right to use the dominant means of social communication in society.”
Twitter’s actions have broad implications that have impacted Catholic News Agency stories. In January 2021, Catholic World Report said its Twitter account was temporarily locked after sharing a story syndicated from Catholic News Agency describing Biden appointee Dr. Rachel Levine as “a biological man who identifies as a transgender woman.” A Twitter spokesperson later told CNA, “The enforcement action was taken in error and has been reversed.”
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