Pope Leo XIV says artificial intelligence should support the Church’s mission of evangelisation, urging Catholic technologists and venture capitalists gathered in Rome to build systems that help spread the Gospel. Source: CNS.
“Whether designing algorithms for Catholic education, tools for compassionate health care, or creative platforms that tell the Christian story with truth and beauty, each participant contributes to a shared mission: to place technology at the service of evangelisation and the integral development of every person,” the Pope wrote.
Pope Leo’s message was read aloud on Friday by Jesuit Father David Nazar during the 2025 Builders AI Forum, a two-day summit for idea-sharing and collaboration hosted at the Pontifical Gregorian University.
Since the beginning of his pontificate, the Pope has emphasised the need for ethically grounded AI, but his message to the conference marked the first time he directly linked the technology’s promise to the Church’s missionary work.
Forum organisers said the stakes are high, as AI tools increasingly shape how people seek meaning online.
“There are billions of people who do not yet know Christ and the truth that Christianity fully possesses,” said Matthew Sanders, a Catholic AI developer and one of the event’s organisers. “If the Church’s guiding hand is not there, this technology has the power to do unimaginable harm, amplifying confusion and despair.”
Registration materials listed about 200 participants, including software engineers, venture capital partners, Catholic media producers, bishops and Vatican communications officials.
The forum was structured as a working summit rather than a public conference, with most discussions held in small-group workshops.
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Pope Leo XIV urges Catholic technologists to spread the Gospel with AI (By Robert Duncan, CNS)
