A misleading infographic circulating on social media claimed that American Archbishop Fulton Sheen, who died in 1979, had a message for Filipinos in relation to the upcoming elections.
The social media post repurposed a quote card with Sheen’s famous remark, “The refusal to take sides on great moral issues is itself a decision. It is a silent acquiescence to evil. The tragedy of our time is that those who still believe in honesty lack fire and conviction, while those who believe in dishonesty are full of passionate conviction.”
It came with a caption claiming that Sheen “addresses this message to Filipinos because he knows that the 2022 election is a do-or-die national event whch (sic) will impact the whole world. To be neutral or to fence sit is an act of cowardice to the highest degree.”
Although the public post containing the claim only had a handful of reactions, the same material was also shared privately through messenger applications.
While the quote was correctly attributed to the late archbishop, the remark was never made directly in relation to the upcoming Philippine elections.
Read the full story on Fact-Check Patrol.
