Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 26, 2022 / 17:09 pm
Elon Musk — the world’s richest man — reached a deal Monday to acquire Twitter for approximately $44 billion. This comes after the social media platform has faced growing accusations of censorship, including that of Catholic and pro-life voices. So what does this move mean for Catholics?
Musk, the head of Tesla and SpaceX, emphasized the importance of free speech in a statement announcing his Twitter takeover.
“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated," he said of the platform with nearly 400 million users. In a tweet Monday, he added, “I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means.”
Father Edmund Waldstein, O.Cist., a lecturer in moral theology at The Pope Benedict XVI Philosophical-Theological University in Heiligenkreuz, Austria, told CNA that the Church teaches that people have a right to freedom of speech.